Work to convert New Delhi’s historic Gole Market into museum set to be over by August 2025
The work to convert New Delhi’s historic Gole Market into a museum is set to be completed by August 2025, said New Delhi Municipal Council Vice-Chairperson Satish Upadhyay. Once a twelve-sided market with six entrances and a central courtyard – the Gole Market is being turned into a museum dedicated to women achievers.
According to Upadhyay, an agency called Krishna Builders has been hired for Rs 21 crore to restore the main building and redevelop the surrounding area. The project is inspired by the Covent Garden Market of London and the British Museum.
On June 29 last year, the NDMC said during its monthly council meeting that the deadline for the project had been set for December 2024, but it aimed to finish the work by the end of 2023.
The history of Gole Market is inextricably linked to the birth of New Delhi as the capital of British India. The market was designed to meet the needs of the residential population. Post-Partition, with the influx of refugees from across the border, the market was remodelled to accommodate more shops. Over the years, the market became popular for stocking poultry, meat, and fish.
However, during an expansion scheme in the 1980s, the internal courtyard of the market was remodelled to accommodate more shops and many stores had to be relocated temporarily to nearby areas. Due to a decline in business, the original shops started being replaced by beauty and hair salons, restaurants, and offices of travel agencies by 2005 – completely altering its original use as a neighbourhood market. Tenders were floated to convert the market into a museum as early as 2005 but no work could take place due to a case in the high court.
However, even after the NDMC received the Court’s approval to go ahead with the project, there were several obstacles.
According to Upadhyay, restoration efforts have been carried out meticulously to preserve the building’s Edwardian neoclassical architectural legacy.
“The scope of work includes retrofitting, rehabilitation, and conservation of the heritage structure, as well as the construction of a service block and subway. Salient features involve a glass dome roof structure, central air conditioning, ornamental fittings, and a service block with lifts,” Upadhyay added.
“When work had started at the market, its condition was in a deplorable state. The external plaster had deteriorated, and there was vegetal growth all over the place… there were signs of water spillage… the timber used on the roof had to be removed as it was broken and creaking in many places, electrical wires were hanging all over the place…” an official source said.
On October 21, 2023, LG V K Saxena officially launched the project and announced that the market will be dedicated to women achievers.
“We aim to convert the Gole Market into a beacon of knowledge, focusing on the contributions of eminent women personalities to Delhi’s development and their pivotal roles in the freedom movement… Visitors can anticipate an engaging exhibition featuring immersive visual displays and informative panels showcasing the remarkable stories of these influential women,” Upadhyay said.
The eminent women personalities to be featured at the market-turned-museum include Sushma Swaraj, Indira Gandhi, Jhansi ki Rani, Mother Teresa, Sarojini Naidu, Anandi Gopal Joshi, Mary Kom, Kalpana Chawla, Kiran Bedi, Shakuntala Devi, Janaki Ammal, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Annie Besant, Ramabai Saraswati, and Sister Nivedita, among others.
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