Why Dehradun's 'Connaught Place' is being demolished - 'Historical loss' 

Dehradun’s historic Mansaram building

• Dehradun's historic Mansaram building is being demolished after a court order
• The 1940 Art Deco landmark was the city's first multi-storey commercial building.
• Heritage advocates mourn the loss, calling it a blow to Dehradun's architecture.

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The steady demolition of Dehradun’s historic Mansaram building has left a palpable sense of loss among residents, as the city parts with a landmark that heralded its modern architectural era. The action follows a December order from the Uttarakhand High Court, sealing the fate of the early 20th-century structure which had been declared unsafe.

Commissioned in the early 1930s by the prominent regional banker Seth Mansaram, the building was completed in 1940 to house the newly established Mansaram Bank. According to a TOI report, it stood as the city’s first multi-storey commercial edifice. Its Art Deco design, inspired by Delhi’s Connaught Place, was crafted by an architectural team brought from Mumbai, marking a significant shift in the city’s urban landscape.

For generations, the building offered residents a familiar vantage point, with its balconies framing views of the iconic Clock Tower. Historians note it quickly became a symbol of Dehradun’s entry into multi-storey real estate.

However, the property’s fortunes shifted shortly after completion when Seth Mansaram faced bankruptcy. The building was subsequently confiscated by his loan agency and later sold to the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).

In recent years, LIC declared the structure shabby and at risk of collapse, leading to the legal proceedings that culminated in the high court’s demolition directive. Work began in December and is expected to conclude within days, ending a chapter nearly nine decades old.

The loss has reportedly been met with dismay by local heritage advocates. Lokesh Ohri, founder of the citizens' group Been There Doon That (BTDT), stated that a petition was submitted to the then-governor roughly seven years ago. The proposal sought to preserve the building and convert it into a modern art gallery showcasing the capital's history. Ohri characterised the demolition as another significant historical loss for Dehradun, TOI cited.

In a striking testament to its original construction, workers on the demolition site reported that the process has been challenging due to the enduring solidity of the internal structure. One worker noted that the building remained remarkably strong, requiring considerable effort to break down, a fact that stands in stark contrast to its condemned exterior.