The famous Oval Maidan area and its surroundings that hasseveral Art Deco buildings and Victorian structures surrounding it “ may soonfind mention in United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganisation (UNESCO).
It figures in India’stentative list and if all goes well, in the times to come it would figure inthe heritage list of UNESCO.
The Maharashtra Government, BrihanMumbai MuncipalCorporation, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, various NGOs aresupporting the initiative. The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC),too has supported the move.
“The Oval Maidan and its surroundings are unique. One onside you have a series of Art Deco buildings while on another side you haveimportant heritage buildings like Bombay High Court, Sessions Court, Universityof Mumbai….the Kala Ghoda is nearby and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is notfar away, which is a UNESCO protected site,” says Rafique Baghdadi, an experton Mumbai, writer and journalist.
According to a note of the UNESCO, the legendary cricketingground, the Oval Maidan separates two radically different genres of Mumbai'sarchitectural evolution. It forms a spectacular and unique urban scenario, withan expanse of open space between the 19th century Victorian Gothic buildings ofthe Bombay High Court, University and Old Secretariat to its east and the 20thcentury development of the Art Deco of the Backbay Reclamation Scheme andMarine Drive to the west.
This conglomeration of Gothic Revival stone structures areamong the finest group of Victorian Gothic buildings in the world. It perhapsis one of the most spectacular compositions of 19th century architecture,undoubtedly the finest Victorian ensemble In Asia. Designed by the likes of SirGilbert Scott, James Trubshaw and Lt. Col James Fuller, the Victorianstructures were built in the period of 1871-1878 after the demolitions of theold walls of Bombay fort. The later Art Deco development was built to the plansof WR Davidge in the 1930s and represent among the largest collection of ArtDeco buildings in the world. No other city in the world however, has both theselarge ensembles of emblematic 19th and 20th century styles facing each other inone grand gesture of urban design.
“The maintenanceregime and its intervention have been largely minimal, thus allowing thebuildings to retain their authenticity, both in terms of scale and material.The bulk of the Victorian buildings facing the eastern edge of Oval are ownedand maintained by the Government. The Art Deco buildings too, maintain theauthentic Art Deco features to a large extent. The overall layout of the entireensemble of the Victorian and Art Deco precincts retain a high degree of integrity,”the note states.
