60L restoration to infuse new life into Stephen Court in its 100th year
Times of India | 20 December 2024
123 Kolkata: The century-old Stephen Court, scarred by a devastating fire in March 2010, is undergoing the most comprehensive overhaul in decades. The residents' association is determined to restore the sheen to the building that stands at the intersection of Park Street and Middleton Row.
Built by Armenian real estate baron Arathoon Stephen in 1924, the building was originally three storeys. A fourth floor was added a decade later. In 1984, two more floors were added to Stephen Court.
Now, exactly a century later, the iconic building that has housed the Flurys confectionery shop since 1927 is undergoing repair and restoration, as well as modernisation of its fire-fighting system, at a projected cost of Rs 60 lakh.
In the years following the fire that killed 27, the Stephen Court Welfare Association spent Rs 5 crore
After the fire, each of the tenants contributed Rs 300 per sq ft for the repair. The last repair was carried out between 2011 and 2012 after the fire incident. "Back then, it (the repair) was about survival and rising from the ashes. But this time, we want to inject fresh life into the building so that it stands proudly for another century," said the association's treasurer, Shreekant Servaiya.
The 1.7 lakh sq ft mixed-use building has 100 units, some commercial but many residential as well. "Fire-fighting equipment was installed, and the elevators were modernised around 2011. An incident in Sept 2023, in which a chunk fell off the building and critically injured a pedestrian, prompted us to undertake a thorough repair. All additional extensions done by the tenants over the years have been demolished," said the association's secretary, Debasis Guha Niyogi.
"We have additionally invested in fire systems, including hydrants that reach all flats and a new generator for fire-fighting, so that there is complete fire safety compliance. Now, we have begun painting the building. We are using the same white and reddish-brown colour combination that existed a century ago to spruce up the heritage building," he added.
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