From government buildings of heritage value that have been allowed to look rundown and unkempt, let us look at a sector that must have money.

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation or HSBC building in Connaught Place in New Delhi is a 19th-century building that has been beautifully restored and modernized. The façade and wonderful exterior of the building preserves its original character, while the interior spaces of the building have been modernized and look ultra-21st-century.

The State Bank of India has a handsome office in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk. The building is unprotected by any law of the land and looks really neglected and untidy. The original building was designed as the Imperial Bank into which the Bank of Madras, Bombay and Bengal were amalgamated. It was the Imperial Bank that became the State Bank of India in 1955 and inherited some awesome buildings and incredibly valuable real estate properties.

The bank building in Delhi is a tall, imposing, three-storied structure with arches and windows that look out onto the busy commercial street in front. The business-like formal exterior of the building has interesting colonial gateposts and large jail openings on the first floor and small squar-ish windows on the third floor. Realizing what a handsome legacy they have, the State Bank of India has asked the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Delhi Chapter, to assist in the renovation of the building. They, too, want the outside façade of the building to be preserved as it was originally built while they will make the interiors ultra-modern. This is a great way to achieve two things with one action — the restoration of historic buildings and the adaptation of the interiors to meet new needs.

Style and function

The business-like exterior of the Delhi State Bank building is very different from the one in Madras, with its Islamic chattries, arches and projecting balconies. These features are reminiscent of the style used in the palaces and administrative buildings at Fatehpur Sikri, the capital city built by Akbar outside Agra in the 1580s. The bank building is in red brick and not in hues of lovely red sandstone like Fatehpur Sikri, and the arches are lined with a grey stone, and the domes have been plastered to give it a unique appearance and style. This architectural style can only be found in a certain period of Indian history in 19th-century functional administrative buildings. The interiors of the building still retain the warmth of stained-glass windows and elaborate woodwork, making them a class apart from the cold, cubicled, glass-and-steel interiors of modern banks.

In Mumbai, the southern section of the Fort area was termed the Banking Quarter and had a Bank Street not far from Mint Road, and all this makes sense if we could only have the original names of the roads back again, please. The State Bank building in Mumbai was built in 1924. The massive design of the building and its fortified form make it look a part of a huge treasury.

Novel significance

Surely, all large banks of India that occupy valuable real estate and have buildings that speak of a bygone era, need to preserve them with their own funds and management. Certainly, they have the money to spruce up their buildings and give an old-world charm to their environs.

HSBC and State Bank of India have shown the way of making our cities charming and interesting. We need to show off our cities in such a way that layers and layers of history are revealed as one drives through the banking district and the old commercial centres. Buildings that are used by thousands everyday need to be well-kept and must maintain a dignified appearance for the public.

Even though these heritage buildings were built for commercial use, new money can be spent on them to give them a new significance once more.