KALA GHODA ASSOCIATION

KALA GHODA ASSOCIATION In 1995, Maharashtra led the way by formulating the Heritage Regulations Act for Greater Bombay, a pathbreaking piece of legislation, wherein the Fort area was designated the status of a heritage precinct. Studies of the area showed that sub-precincts within the Fort precinct had emerged, not as delineated by the municipal authorities but as being held together by a set of common interests. The Kala Ghoda area was emerging as a potential Art District among other sub-precincts viz the Ballard Estate, the Oval Maidan. the D. N Road, Horniman Circle. Local associations in each of these areas were formed to act as the engine that would drive the area's conservation and upgrading Process.

KALA GHODA ASSOCIATION

In 1995, Maharashtra led the way by formulating the Heritage Regulations Act for Greater Bombay, a pathbreaking piece of legislation, wherein the Fort area was designated the status of a heritage precinct. Studies of the area showed that sub-precincts within the Fort precinct had emerged, not as delineated by the municipal authorities but as being held together by a set of common interests. The Kala Ghoda area was emerging as a potential Art District among other sub-precincts viz the Ballard Estate, the Oval Maidan. the D. N Road, Horniman Circle. Local associations in each of these areas were formed to act as the engine that would drive the area's conservation and upgrading Process.

What started as a citizen's initiative to upgrade the Kala Ghoda area, was formally registered as a Society in October 1998 as the Kala Ghoda Association, which today has almost 220 corporate and individual members. Formed with the main objective of acting as a catalyst for conservation of the numerous heritage buildings in the area as well as to improve the streetscape with the introduction of appropriate street fUrniture and signage, the KGA also has on its agenda ........

• To synergize the existing components and functions in the Kala Ghoda area to
create a unique function of an Art District for the city
• To animate and make possible the use of interstitial spaces in the area such as
pavements, the parking lot, side alleys, quadrangles in the buildings, etc.
• To make the Kala Ghoda Art District a citywide amenity through creation of an
infrastructure in the area to support and encourage art related activities.
• To liase with city authorities to create an appropriate context for the
improvements of the precinct.

The Kala Ghoda crescent rouuhlv defined as the area that stretches from Dr S. P. Mukherji Chowk at the southern end of Mahatma Gandhi Road upto the Mumhai University at the northern end. flanked by the Oval Maidan to the west and Lion Gate to the eastern side, is today a hub of cultural activity and a throbbing urban node with premier art related and educational institutions as well as a host of famous city restaurants, popular bookshops, small art galleries and designer boutiques. The name Kala Ghoda as it is still popularly called, can be traced back to the old equestrian statue of King Edward VII, which was placed at the centre of the large node on the Old Esplanade Road. The statue has since been removed but the name persists, an assertive confirmation of a compelling public memory.
PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS

At the core of the KGA's activities is the upgrading of the Kala Ghoda area through the
improvement of the streetscape and conservation of the heritage buildings within it.
The streetscape:
The KGA has appointed a firm of architects and industrial designers who have studied, mapped and conceived a master plan for the beautification of the streetscape of the Kala Ghoda area. Based on this plan, the KGA funded a pavement, new signage & street furniture, which would serve as a model to be replicated over the rest of the Kala Ghoda area & other parts of Mumbai city. On the basis of the model, the KGA has been able to find a sponsor to fUnd the rest of the Kala Ghoda Art District & has been working closely with the local authorities to implement the beautification. On the anvil, is the implementation of Phase I, which includes re-surfacing the pavements of K. Dubash Marg and the Kala Ghoda parking lot and adding a facility to the area in the form of an amphitheatre which will be built in place of and will house the BMC sheds at the Lion Gate end of K. Dubash Marg.
Elphinstone College:

A Grade I Heritage building, the Elphinstone College, the centrepiece of the area is in need of major structural repairs and restoration. About two years ago, the KGA had funded a conservation study of the Elphinstone College building. A restoration committee with representation from the Govt of Maharshtra, Elphinstone College, Dept of Archives, Public Works Dept, the college alumni, and the KGA, was formed to share the responsibility for and oversee the repairs and restoration of the building. Based on the study by conservation architect, Abha Narain Lambah, the KGA has facilitated the restoration work, which started recently.