Neglect of a house for Mr Jeanneret
Such was Jeanneret’s love for Chandigarh that as per his will, his ashes were scattered in the Sukhna Lake after he died in 1967.
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The house of Pierre Jeanneret, who was Le Corbusier’s cousin, in Sector 5, Chandigarh. (Source: Express photo by Sahil Walia)
Years have passed but the corner house with 57 painted at its entrance, in the lane of well-maintained houses in Sector 5, continues to present a picture of apathy. Unlike the neighbouring houses, where a gardener, a trash picker or a domestic worker would be seen doing their work, here sits an old security guard who would tell you, “Yahan Chandigarh ke purane vastukaar rehate the (here lived Chandigarh’s old architect).”
Rusted iron gate, the overgrown grass, dead plant matter, musty smell, weed stench, some old bricks lying in the corner, walls and windowpanes in need of repair and a folding bed lying under the shed for a security guard. This is the situation of a residence where the city’s first chief architect Pierre Jeanneret lived for 11 years from December 1954 to August 1965.
Jeanneret was also Corbusier’s cousin. Corbusier, during his visits to the city, also used to reside in this house. Such was Jeanneret’s love for Chandigarh that as per his will, his ashes were scattered in the Sukhna Lake after he died in 1967.
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Being one of the few houses that Jeanneret had designed in the city, tourists never forget to visit this place but they often ask this question, “Who maintains it?”
UT chief architect Kapil Setia says that it is the responsibility of the chief engineer to look after its maintenance. “The administration needs to see the condition of the house and if the chief engineer wants us to intervene in helping to maintain it, we are always ready for it. Studies have been done on the places which are a part of city’s heritage but no action has been taken yet,” he adds.
Surprisingly, Jeanneret’s house number finds a wrong mention in some documents lying with the administration, says Setia.
Talking about the proposals to transform Jeanneret’s residence into a research centre and a museum, Setia says that proposals are lying with the heritage committee of the UT Administration. The plans are to convert his residence into a research centre for all those who wish to study about Le Corbusier and his other contributions while another plan is to make his residence a museum as well by shifting some of the old furniture designed by Corbusier and Jeanneret, some small-scale artefacts and books written by both of them to the museum.
The purpose is to retrieve the artefacts including sketches, drawings, graphs and wooden carvings which were made
under Corbusier’s and Jeanneret’s supervision and also to preserve the heritage of the city. However, the house number 57 is in a shambles at present and no plan of action has been formulated to put this house in order.
“The heritage committee is yet to monitor the condition of the house. They have to assess the safety of the residence and what all changes need to be done. For the time being, the administration is trying to pull in a responsible and a regular person who could take care of the house. The residence at present has a temporary guard who sits outside,” says Setia.
However, Anurag Aggarwal, UT home secretary and secretary tourism, who had recently visited Jeanneret’s residence, says, “The plans are being firmed up. It has been put under the control of Corbusier Centre and very soon, we will be finalising the restoration and usage plan.”
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