Consultations ICOMOS consulted its International Scientific Committees The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble on Shared Built Heritage, on 20th Century Heritage, on of Mumbai Historic Towns and Villages, and several independent experts. (India) No 1480 Technical Evaluation Mission A technical evaluation mission from ICOMOS visited the nominated property from 6 to 11 September 2017. Additional information received by ICOMOS Official name as proposed by the State Party A letter was sent from ICOMOS to the State Party on The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai 1 August 2017 requesting updated information on the nomination dossier, particularly on issues of protection Location management and conservation. Also, additional Mumbai, Maharashtra State information was requested regarding the boundaries of India the property and the buffer zone, justification for inscription, the resolution of the submitted maps, and Brief description questions about management and protection. A The demolition of the fortifications of Bombay in the 1860s response with additional information was received by marked the transformation of the city from a fortified ICOMOS from the State Party on 5 September 2017. outpost into a world class commercial centre and made available land for development. A group of public An Interim Report was sent to the State Party on buildings was built in the Victorian Gothic style and the 22 December 2017 and the State Party provided open green space of the Oval Maidan was created. The ICOMOS with additional information on 13 February th Backbay Reclamation Scheme in the early 20 century 2018. The information submitted has been incorporated offered a new opportunity for Bombay to expand to the in the relevant sections of this report. west with Art Deco residential, commercial and entertainment buildings and the creation of Marine Drive Date of ICOMOS approval of this report along the sea front. Today the Oval Maidan presents a 14 March 2018 composition of a spectacular ensemble of Victorian Gothic buildings on its eastern side, and another spectacular ensemble of Art Deco buildings on its 2 The property western side, a testimony to the modernization phases that Mumbai went through during the 19th and Description 20th centuries leading to a modern independent India in The nominated property is of 66.34 ha total area and 1947. buffered by an area of 378.78 ha. It is located in the south of Mumbai. It is a group of buildings, consisting of Category of property 94 historic buildings and the open green space of the In terms of categories of cultural property set out in Oval Maidan. Article I of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, this is a group of buildings. The buildings of the nominated property represent modernization endeavors in architectural and urban planning. An urban ensemble of 19th century Victorian 1 Basic data Gothic buildings and groups of early 20th century Art Deco buildings flank the open green space of the Oval Included in the Tentative List Maidan. The Art Deco buildings extend to a row of 22 May 2012 buildings along Marine Drive. The property includes other buildings to the north of the Oval Maidan and to International Assistance from the World Heritage the east and south of the Victorian Gothic buildings. Fund for preparing the Nomination None The transition from the 19th century Victorian Gothic style to the 20th century Art Deco is represented by a few Date received by the World Heritage Centre buildings of the turn-of-the-century Indo Saracenic style 29 January 2014 and the early 20th century Edwardian Neo-classical style. The four styles represented in the property form an Background overall narrative of endeavors to modernize Mumbai into This is a new nomination. a cosmopolitan city and reinforce Mumbai’s position as “the Gateway to India”. 80 The Oval Maidan and the buildings east, north and south were produced by the Bharat Tile Company (est. 1923). of it are located within the Fort Precinct. Buildings west Decorative terrazzo features are significant and were of the Oval Maidan are located within the Marine Drive also produced by the same company. Precinct. Lease agreements for construction on the Backbay The Oval Maidan is an important open space for the city. Reclamation Scheme mandated a clear space of 20 feet It separates the 19th century Victorian Gothic buildings of around each building, making the distance between the late 1800s to its east from the Art Deco buildings to every two buildings 40 feet. Most of the buildings were of its west, which were built on the Backbay Reclamation uniform height and the same number of floors: five or six Scheme and Marine Drive in the 1930s. At the same storeys. Such heights were facilitated by the use of time the Oval Maidan offers an opportunity to view both reinforced concrete. They are characterized by large groups of buildings and enjoy the different phases of the balconies and Art Deco decorative features. They are modernization of Mumbai. also characterized by harmonious street frontages using attractive color schemes, curvilinear balconies and The Victorian architecture and motifs articulated corners. As they were built at different times, The 19th century buildings are considered to be “Anglo and as both residential and commercial buildings, they Indian style”, as they are modelled on Gothic forms while express individual charm whilst observing an overall using Indian materials and craftsmen and were adapted harmony. Not only did this development of Mumbai to Indian conditions. They are built of igneous basalt, introduce the Art Deco style to the city, it also introduced which is locally available in the Deccan Plateau, while modern forms of entertainment such as cinemas and the decorative carvings are made of soft limestone from social clubs. Porbunder in Gujarat. They include Gothic Revival features such as turrets, spires, pointed arches, trefoils, The Indo-Saracenic architecture and motifs quatrefoils, gargoyles and vaulted ceilings. Also This is a hybrid style that blends Western planning and incorporated in the same buildings are Indian Indian architectural features, mainly Mughal, such as architectural features, such as sloping terracotta tiled domes, chattris, brackets, jaalis and jharokhas, which roofs, carved balconies and linear verandas, which were became popular around the turn of the 20th century. This suited to the Indian climate. The carvings feature Indian style was created with the ambition of it becoming the men in traditional turbans and costumes. “Pan Indian” style. The Art Deco architecture and motifs The Classical Revival architecture and motifs The ambitious Backbay Reclamation Scheme of the Buildings of this style were also referred to as 1920s, which covers 553 acres of reclaimed land, is ‘Edwardian Neo-classical’ or ‘Renaissance Revival’. where the Art Deco buildings of Mumbai were They incorporated classical facades and motifs, such as constructed in the 1930s and 1940s. They are among pedimented facades, Corinthian columns, double height the first Art Deco buildings built in India. Their pilasters and classical motifs above windows. concentration gave a homogenous character and cohesion to this part of Mumbai. Their distinguishing Art History and development Deco features were the result of strict regulations based Mumbai is the name given to the group of seven islands on a planning vision. by the fishermen who inhabited them. Mumbai derives from the name of the locally worshiped goddess at the The Art Deco buildings introduced to Mumbai and India time: Mumba. new materials and typologies. They were constructed using reinforced concrete, which allowed for high-rise In the 16th century, the Portuguese converted the islands constructions, free forms and speed of construction, into a trading outpost. In 1665, the islands came under resulting in the dense assemblage of private apartments. British rule as part of Catharine de Braganza’s dowry The introduction of cinemas added a new feature to upon her marriage to Charles II, King of England. The urban cosmopolitan life, represented in the property by main island was fortified by the British East India the Regal and the Eros Cinemas. Company, which leased it from the British Crown. After 1686, the East India Company moved its seat of The Art Deco buildings include a hybrid of Art Deco and governance and the centre for its maritime activities from Indian motifs which form what can be called “Indo-Deco”. Surat to Bombay. Fortification walls were built to protect The early Art Deco buildings of Mumbai were built with a the main island from attacks by neighbouring enemies. combination of traditional materials, such as bricks and plaster on the one hand, and technologically advanced In 1715, the governor Charles Boone created the materials such as reinforced concrete on the other. Bombay Fort. In 1772, an expansive area of land around the walls was cleared to provide a clear field of fire, as a Local products and materials were incorporated in these precaution because of fear of attack by the French. This buildings by Indian architects. Decorative features were area, which was known as the Esplanade, extended for made of plaster and other locally-available materials, 400 yards from the ramparts to the edge of the sea. It such as wood, marble and tiles. Many of the decorated was extended to 800, then 1000 yards in 1804. The tiles, which are significant features of these buildings, 1850s and 1860s witnessed the transformation of 81 Bombay from a trading post to a town, thanks to two The Ideal Home Exhibition in 1937 showcased Art Deco governors: John Lord Elphinstone and Sir Bartle Frere. designs for buildings, interiors and furniture and encouraged the spread of Art Deco style in India during The demolition of the fort started in the mid-1850s and the 1930s and 1940s. Independence in 1947 put an end was completed by the 1860s as the city prospered as a to the place of Art Deco as an expression of Indian result of the importance of its cotton trade during the aspirations for modernity as Jawaharlal Nehru embraced American civil war.