Century-old Krumbiegel Hall in Lalbagh collapses

The over 100-year old Krumbiegel Hall in Lalbagh has collapsed. Years of neglect by the horticulture department appears to be the cause. The lecture hall, named after Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel, who served as superintendent of Lalbagh between 1908 and 1932, was one of the oldest heritage structures inside the historic botanical garden.

While the facade still remains standing, the entire middle portion of the Greek-style structure has caved in. The exact date of the collapse is not known, although conservationists believe it could not have been more than a few days ago. “We had first approached the horticulture department in 2010 to restore it and have been requesting them to take steps to conserve the structure ever since,” said Meera Iyer, co-convenor, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), explaining that the building slumped because of prolonged government apathy and indifference. “The hall had vegetation growing out of it. The waterproofing was completely damaged because of which the plaster was gone. Forget maintenance, the horticulture department was using it as a dumpyard.”

Also referred to as the Horticulture Lecture Hall, the structure bore the emblem of the Mysuru royal family - the Gandabherunda (two-headed mythological bird) on the facade. The Pompeian red structure sports Corinthian-style columns below triangular pediments. Earlier this year, when Gustav Krumbiegel’s greatgranddaughter Alyia Phelps Gardiner Krumbiegel made her maiden visit to Bengaluru, the horticulture department assured her that the heritage hall will be preserved.

“Years of neglect has made restoration work difficult and expensive. The lime and mortar base used by British builders cannot be replaced by regular cement or plaster of paris. It requires skill and resources to restore a complicated structure like that. The Krumbiegel Hall has witnessed the unfurling of the story of Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, and that alone makes it a reason to preserve it,” Alyia had written in a Facebook post.

Even after its collapse, restoration seems to be stuck in government red-tape. Dr Jagadeesh, joint director of horticulture (parks & gardens), told ET that the Archaeology Department did not take up restoration because the structure was not a listed heritage building. Apparently, the tourism department had stepped in. “The structure collapsed because of the rain. We will take the matter forward with urgency now. We have completed the conditional assessment,” he said. “We cannot renovate it since it is difficult to get the same kind of materials, expenses are higher and it will not be too long-lasting. So we will re-build it like it was. But I cannot commit to how early it will be done as it is subject to availability of funds, permissions from higher-ups and many other factors.”

Artist Suresh Jayaram, an authority on Gustav Krumbiegel who has been pushing for the structure’s restoration, said the government’s unwillingness to restore the structure hints at vested interests for the land on which the hall stood.