Restoring Gateway back to original glory: Rs 7 crore conservation project to be completed by Feb next year

Almost a century on, what had been developed as a ceremonial ‘gateway’ for the important British personnel has come to emerge as the city’s most iconic monument with the Grade-I heritage structure clocking a footfall of over thousands daily.

However, the very seas — whose allure and proximity— had made Apollo Bandar port the ideal site for Gateway’s construction has also taken a toll on the monument’s edifice.

Amid the surface developing algae and patches owing to the saline air, the state archeological department has taken up the cudgels to restore and repair the iconic structure at an estimated cost of Rs. 7 crore. The conservation project, which also seeks to restore the periphery of the structure, is slated to be completed by February 2025.

From a ceremonial gate to a quintessential Mumbai icon

From catering as the entry-way for the maiden monarchical visit to being the point from where the last British troops left in 1948 — Gateway of India typically served as a ‘ceremonial’ gateway into India.

However, city-chronicler Bharat Gothoskar, who runs Khaki Tours, said despite the concept of a ceremonial arch gate being a very western concept structurally, the Gateway of India is very Indic, in terms of design.

“After the foundation stone was laid in 1913, George Wittet, a prominent architect who designed Gateway, chose the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture for the monument, which has the influence of the Gujarat sultanate and Jaipur. The contractor for the project was Gammon India and Gateway is among the first buildings in the city which experimented with RCC,” Gothoskar told The Indian Express.

Now, while the Gateway is still used for ceremonies such as the Beating Retreat on Navy Day, it is typically thronged by thousands of tourists, besides vendors and photographers, on a daily basis.

Currently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) overlooks the periphery of the area while the control of the monument lies with the Directorate of Archeology and Museums since 1992.

Restoring Gateway back to its original glory

In recent years, the saline air from the coasts have afflicted major portions of the monument with algae formation as well as salt deposition, with the salination resulting in paint and cement patches.

Last year, the Centre had also informed Parliament that an inspection had revealed cracks along the surface of the Gateway monument, although the structure remained in good shape. As the damage along with the vegetative plantations in the structure came to fore, the state directorate of archaeology and museums sent a proposal to the Maharashtra government, which acquired the final nod in April 2023.

Dr. Vilas Wahane, assistant director of state archaeological department, Ratnagiri, said, “We observed that owing to the salty weather and the saline air, the surface of the monument had developed white patches. Furthermore, both the front as well as back facade of the structure had blackened.”

Pegged at a cost of Rs 7 crore, the state archeological department has already undertaken 30 per cent of the conservation works with the entire project slated to be completed by February 2025.

“Firstly, the project took off with cleaning. Wherever we observed water seepage, we removed the old plaster and started re-plastering. Meanwhile, some years ago, the weathered stone had been plastered in patches. We have now taken up re-plastering through the Dutchman work ship,” added Wahane.

“Once this work concludes, we will start with consolidation. To ensure the water-proofing for the next few years, the surface will be covered with chemical coating,” said the assistant director.

Among other things, the department has already completed plaster and polymer treatment within the dome portions as well as removed damaged doors and window frames on the internal sections.

It is not the monument but also its periphery — which caters to a huge influx of crowd — that will be repaired as part of the project. For instance, the department has chalked plans to carry out cleaning, raking as well as pointing of the stones along the retaining wall of the Gateway along the sea-side.

“Outside the monument, we are replacing the existing railings which have become rusted. This time, we will be replacing the portion with cast-iron railings which are much heavier,” said Wahane, adding that the pavement within the century-old structure is also being revamped.

While the Gateway of India had been previously repaired in 2007, this is the first time, according to senior officials, that a conservation of such a scale is being executed at the monument.

Meanwhile, conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah, who has been appointed as the principal architect on the project, told The Indian Express, “The ongoing conservation work entailing cleaning and consolidation form a part of the larger project, along with the BMC to develop the Gateway Plaza.