MCD plans to turn historic town hall into cultural hub for public use

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is working with the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation on a plan to turn the historic Town Hall into a cultural hub for public use. The original idea, according to officials, was to use part of the 160-year-old complex — which served as the municipal body’s headquarters in Chandni Chowk in the past — for public functions. The relocation of the City Sadar Paharganj zonal office to the Town Hall was also being mulled.

However, the civic body is now looking at conserving, restoring, and repurposing it in a way that keeps its heritage character while opening it up to the public under a revenue-sharing arrangement, officials said.

Further, they said, the work required in the building is extensive, and the cost to fully restore it is yet to be determined, as the area is substantial.

“We are working on a proposal to fully renovate and restore the building. Initial assessment suggests that the cost is going to be more than Rs 100 crore, but the exact cost is yet to be determined,” a senior Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) official said. Last week, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) wrote to the DTTDC, seeking a proposal on heritage redevelopment and tourism, officials said.

“Previously, we had approached other agencies as well; finally, the DTTDC is working on a proposal to develop the heritage building into a cultural centre showcasing the history of Delhi and the corporation,” an MCD official said.

The Town Hall was classified as a Grade-A heritage structure, the highest protection category under Delhi’s heritage regulations, which puts it in the same bracket as some of the city’s most significant historical buildings, officials said.

Built between 1860 and 1863 in mid-colonial style, the structure sits on a plot with an expanse of more than 13,000 square metres and has three buildings.

The letter, from the City Sadar Paharganj zone, asked the DTTDC to look at the proposal, suggest how it could get involved, identify relevant schemes, and outline a broad plan to move the project ahead. The corporation said such guidance would help it restore the building and bring it into the city’s cultural and tourism fold.

“We are considering whether a ticketing system should be put in place so that the heritage building’s finances are taken care of in the near future. It may help in making it self-sustaining as the footfall increases,” an official said.

MCD owns the Town Hall, which served as its headquarters from 1866 to 2012. The building has been sitting vacant since then. According to officials, the heritage cell of the MCD has restored documents, machines from the old printing press, maps and old artefacts.

“We are in the process of restoring several old documents, pictures and other important cartographic records which will be displayed in the restored Town Hall,” an official said, adding that a few maps of Delhi, which are more than a century old, are being restored currently. “A map of Delhi from 1924, a few books, printing press machines from 1926 are being restored, which may be displayed there,” the official added.

In 2025, the MCD hired a consultant to prepare a project report for the 163-year-old structure. But after a review, the plan was expanded to revive the entire complex as a public cultural space. Ahead of the G20 Summit, MCD carried out basic repairs, but officials say that since 2012, the building has deteriorated steadily. Ceiling plaster has come down in sections, entry to parts of the structure has been restricted, and years of deferred maintenance have taken a visible toll on the heritage building.

Various proposals to repurpose it — as a heritage hotel, a museum complex, a government office — have fallen by the wayside.