ASI plans to restore Last House, one of the oldest building in St George
Last House, one of the oldest buildings in Fort St. George here is likely to get a new lease of life as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has commenced works to restore the structure. Almost 90 per cent of the buildings are in ruins, and restoration can be a difficult task.
“We want to restore it as it is one of the oldest buildings to be constructed in the fort. We will follow the traditional method of preservation,” an ASI official said.
Officials said it was difficult to fully restore the building. “We have the maps, drawings and documents, which will come in handy for conservation. We will try to restore 50 per cent of the building in the first phase. Later, we can think about restoring the remaining portion,” an official said.
Col D.M. Reid, in his book The Story of Fort St George, said that the building had a fine carved staircase that goes up to the second storey. “This is one of the oldest houses in the Fort, in all probability,” writes Reid in the book, which was first published in 1945.
According to V. Sriram, a chronicler of Chennai, it was an aristocratic quarter of Fort St. George, facing as it did the east and being subject to sea breeze. Perhaps because of this, the street came to be known as Snob’s Alley.
ASI officials said that the building, which could be seen from the Rajaji Salai, came under their control only in 2010. Almost 50 per cent of the structure was in good condition till 2017. Neglect paved the way for its destruction. The heavy rain in 2023 took a heavy toll on it, and the ASI had erected scaffolding around the structure to support it, and prevent it from collapsing.
It is not just the Last House. Most of the historical structures in Fort St. George are in ruins and could soon disappear unless the ASI and the Indian Army, which has occupied 90 per cent of the building, come to an agreement to conserve them.
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