Plan to convert Balabrooie guest house into club irks heritage buffs

Yet another attempt to convert Balabrooie Guest House — a heritage building located in the heart of the city — to a Constitution Club for present and former legislators has attracted strong reactions from various quarters.

The proposal by Legislative Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, activists say, will be detrimental to one of the most well-known heritage structures built around 1850 and could also hit traffic in the busy city centre.

Kageri told reporters on Monday that directions were issued to the Chief Secretary to provide more facilties at the house, without affecting the heritage structure of the building.

Speaking to DH, Priya Chetty, founder of Heritage Beku, said that it was a case of fence eating the crop. “The government should preserve such heritage structures rather than claim it for themselves,” she said. Recalling that such a proposal has been under discussion since 2004, she said that space was identified and plans made for the club near Windsor Manor Circle after a similar attempt was made to convert the Guest House in 2014.

“There is really no need for a heritage structure to be repurposed for a club,” she said, adding that Heritage Beku has written to the government to drop the proposal.

Yashaswini Sharma, head of Esthetique Architect, a heritage conservation firm said that reuse of heritage buildings required a thorough study. Noting that there has not been any feasibility study, she said that it was imperative not to allow new structures to come up near the heritage structure, as required if it is turned to a club.

Such buildings should me made more accessible to public than turned into a exclusive facility. Due to the location of the guest house, turning it into a club will cause traffic snarls too, she added.

“Would it be too much to hope that legislators would be willing to share this much-loved building with the city?” asked Meera Iyer of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.

“If the building and the trees and garden are maintained as they are, then I would say there’s nothing wrong with that. At least, the building is used and not allowed to fall due to deliberate neglect unlike many other govt heritage buildings,” she added.

Check out latest DH videos here