Kolkata's historic Press & Forms building to become leather goods hub
Times of India | 5 November 2024
KOLKATA: The Press & Forms building on Judges Court Road, opposite Alipore Jail, is being restored and repurposed for use as a facility for small and medium-scale leather goods manufacturers to showcase their products. A seminar room will also be created.
Built around the time Alipore Jail was constructed in 1906, or even earlier, as the building also catered to forms and other stationery requirements of Presidency Jail as well, the three-storey building is utilitarian in design and has a narrow brick-vaulted cement staircase. An elevator installed later has been out of operation for years.
"We submitted the proposal for the building's restoration to the KMC Heritage Committee. Since this is a govt building that is proposed to be restored by Hidco, another govt agency, we expect a faster clearance than it usually takes to get a clearance for a private property," said Conservation Architect Partha Ranjan Das, who prepared the proposal.
After the heritage committee gives its nod, the proposal will also require clearance from the fire department before work can begin sometime early next year.
To conform to the fire and safety norms, two new staircases are proposed at the rear of the building, along with two elevator shafts.
Heritage enthusiasts are betting on the mini project, estimated at Rs 4-4.5 crore, to keep the repurposing of buildings going. The Alipore Jail itself was repurposed into a museum after the inmates were shifted to a facility in Baruipur.