Lalkuthi to get back its former glory

Historic Lalkuthi in old Dhaka is set to regain some of its lost glory under a landmark renovation initiative taken by the Dhaka South City Corporation. 

The city corporation has already initiated activities to renovate the structure, built on the banks of the Buriganga River in 1872, under the Dhaka City Neighborhood Upgrading Project (DCNUP).

The Lalkuthi building was inaugurated in 1880 by former viceroy of India (1872-1876) Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook. The building was named Northbrook Hall after him and later became widely known as Lalkuthi because of its red brick construction. 

Once upon a time, Dhaka's aristocratic family members and wealthy people used to hang out at the Lalkuthi. It may not be possible to restore the building entirely to its previous form, but various modern facilities including community centres and libraries, for citizens and visitors will be made in its vicinity.

The red brick complex, comprising Northbrook Hall, was built as a Town Hall. The Johnson Hall was added after two years as a library with over 1,000 books. These hallmarks of colonial architecture were struggling for survival, with rundown ceilings dripping rainwater on the invaluable books inside, until the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) initiated its preservation and restoration works.

The initiative comes as part of a $100.5 million project financed by the World Bank. The DCNUP aims to enhance public spaces and improve urban services in four neighbourhoods, benefiting about one million residents.

The project will help increase green open spaces by enhancing selected parks, streets and waterfronts, in high-density areas of Dhaka South. Multipurpose community centres will include a mix of new uses to serve neighbourhoods and incorporate environment-friendly and energy efficient design principles and materials in buildings.

A key element of the project is citizen engagement, allowing local residents of the neighbourhood to participate in the urban planning process, to identify, and to prioritise community needs for guiding the designs of public spaces and buildings,

The Northbrook will contain town hall, exhibition hall, banquet hall, seminar hall and venue for shows and photo-shoots. There will be a Lalkuthi community centre with toilets, utilities, extended semi-outdoor spaces, coffee shop etc.

The Johnson Hall will contain a public library, digital library/archive, book cafe, souvenir sales booth in a corner. Corridors will be used as a small exhibition space.

It will also contain open outdoor spaces with outdoor civic events, festivals, fairs, community recreation, school events, and tea stalls etc.

"Community engagement in participatory urban design promotes a sense of ownership and belonging that has the potential to change behavior and lead to the long-term success of interventions in public spaces," said Md Sirajul Islam, project director of DCNUP.

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) organised an exhibition on the activities of DCNUP project at Lalkuthi premises on Monday. 

Meanwhile, DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, the World Bank's Country Director in Bangladesh Mercy Tembon, people involved in the project, and city planners visited the site today.

DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said, "Restoring cultural heritage sites, developing new community centres, and creating open public spaces such as parks, playfields, water bodies, and riverside walkways is part of our vision for building a more livable Dhaka."

He urged the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to take immediate steps in this regard and remove the Sadarghat launch terminal's Lalkuthi to Ruplal House portion.

The mayor said, "Transforming Dhaka into a vibrant and resilient megacity calls for a new approach to managing urban growth: one that is spatially targeted, integrated across sectors, closely coordinated across institutions, and financed in a sustainable way."

DSCC will also pilot interventions for safe mobility and traffic management as well as paved streets and expanded sidewalks to improve walkability and access for women, the elderly and those with disabilities, Taposh added.

"Global experience shows that good public urban spaces are fundamental to improving the quality of life," said Mercy Tembon, World Bank's country director, Bangladesh.

She was surprised to see that Lalkuthi, established in 1880, was still standing.

"Considering public spaces as social spaces means acknowledging how a space can contribute to the physical and mental health of a population. Public spaces are essential for idea exchanges and recreation, just as much as for commute and everyday needs", she said.

"The project supports the World Bank's twin goals of reducing extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity," said John Roome, regional director of the World Bank.

Historian Prof Muntasir Mamun said, "If the people of Dhaka want, it is also possible to free the occupied Ruplal House. I will tell the mayor to demolish the illegal structures built in and around these historical monuments." 

Regarding the initiatives taken by South City to bring back the heritage of Lalkuthi, he said, "Towards the end of my life, it gives me great joy to see that Lalkuthi is being renovated. Once done, the city-dwellers will also be proud of the historical installations."

Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) President Engineer Mubasshar Hussain said, "Getting work done through public hearing is much more acceptable. It is commendable that the present mayor has taken the initiative to preserve the heritage of old Dhaka in the same way. We want full cooperation from the people of old Dhaka."

Under this project, public spaces and urban services will be enhanced in the neighbourhoods of Kamrangirchar, Lalbagh, Sutrapur, Nayabazar, Gulistan, Khilgaon, Mughda, and Bashabo. 

The project was approved on 29 March, 2019 with an estimated deadline of 30 June, 2024. The total expenditure of the project is yet to be finalised.