Charni Road’s Royal Opera House which was restored and reopened last year has bagged the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
1911 - King George V inaugurated the building, though it was still under construction.
1912 - Royal Opera House got ready
1915 - Additions were made to the building
1933 – Years of neglect, it was closed down
2008 - Restoration work started
2011 - The exterior restoration was completed
2016 – The building was restored and reopened
Read more: Royal Opera House... Reopens
Ashish Dosi who is the honorary director of the heritage site took up the challenge and decided to restore the place with the help of pictures taken by an Australian journalist in 1914.
The restoration and architect work was done by architect Abha Lambah who carefully designed the Royal Opera House by adding modern acoustics, sound, lighting, and air conditioner.
As Lambah was quoted in Hindustan Times,
In a city like Mumbai, there are many heritage sites, but not enough government funding to conserve them. The owners of this place didn’t want to compromise on quality and maintain the cultural heritage as well. The award is a validation of their faith.”
Lambah said that the Maharaja of Gondal, who owns the building, had immense faith in the restoration process and is extremely happy for bagging the award.
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