In the din,a quiet parting: Exit the Town Hall

Before the proceedings began,Mayor Rajni Abbi reminded them gently: “It is a historic moment for all of us. This is the last session of the House in this building.”

Leader of House Subhash Arya and Leader of Opposition J K Sharma say Town Hall is part of history. “This building has been witness to historic decisions for the city. The auditorium has seen us in Opposition and in power. It has recorded many memorable incidents of our lives. We feel part of history while in Town Hall,” Sharma said.

One hundred and fifty years after it was raised as a symbol of British paramountcy,the Town Hall bid a final farewell to the councillors. The MCD headquarters has moved to the modern 28-storeyed Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre. And that’s where the councillors will meet next.

No one is quite sure what will happen to Town Hall. There was one proposal to turn it into a heritage hotel. But a second proposed a museum. A decision is still to be taken.

Planned in 1857 to serve as an office for the municipality,chamber of commerce,a literary society and a museum,the Town Hall acted as a platform for interaction between Europeans and Indians. Built between 1860 and 1865,it was modelled on city centres in Victorian England.

It was first called Lawrence Institute and later the Institute Building. Town Hall was built with provincial funds of Rs 30,000 collected from Indians. In 1866,the municipality managed to buy the building for Rs 1,35,475. But it continued to house the public library and European Club till the end of the century.