While sleek glass doors and multi-storey buildings may be the norm in Bengaluru today, a new crop of arts, culture and food ventures are making a home for themselves within age-old buildings that have weathered famine, war and the effects of time – from the magnetism of Sabha, the cosy nook of the General Items design gallery or the cool space of Cinnamon. “What we’re seeing is a revival of older spaces, updated with contemporary facilities. With many heritage buildings replaced by vertical structures, few remaining historic spaces are now being appreciated deeply,” notes Sridhar Poddar, whose Kaash art gallery, Berlie Street , opened in 2022, in an over 150-year-old building.
But why bother going to expensive and time-consuming lengths to revive a space instead of building a new one? For some, like Bhramini Reddy’s family, the owners of Bungalow 157, Domlur, it is a labour of love. “Generations of the family have lived here, so we wanted to keep that sentiment alive,” she explains. The venue hosts everything from art exhibitions and healing sessions to birthday parties. Panchavati, the Nobel Laureate CV Raman’s former residence in Malleswaram, is another such place, having sporadically hosted arts, science or education-related events from 2024 and currently undergoing renovation. “It’s been a family home to my parents, uncles, aunts, myself, at different points, but we also really wanted it to be something for the public. We’ve had exhibitions related to Raman Research Institute and even been one of the main venues for BLR Habba, ” says Vivek Radhakrishnan, CV Raman’s grandson, adding that this is especially important given Panchavati’s historical importance.
The aesthetic appeal often gets attention online, but while this draws people in, the stories keep people coming back, explains Aarush Jhunjhunwala, owner of Cafe Stone, located in Cinnamon’s premises. “When people come here, I get to tell them about how it has transitioned from an orphanage built during the famine to a cafe in the middle of the city – that’s something completely unique to us.”
Conservation architect & cofounder of EZHA Heritage Swathy V Subramanian, explains these as examples of ‘adaptive reuse’ that India has seen most in palaces turned star hotels. “In Bengaluru, we see this example in a few older venues too, like Samsung Opera House and Hard Rock Cafe – they retain the historic elements like walls, windows, Mangalore tile roofing, flooring but put it to a new use.”
Often, the venue’s offerings are closely tied to the architecture, as Poddar notes, “Since we work with indigenous crafts, which are forms of heritage, it felt important that the architecture reflect that ethos – breathing space, proportion, and scale that feel ideal for a gallery.” Jhunjhunwala adds that the cafe has found creative inspiration from the space, saying, “It dictates a lot of the menu choices. Our guests resonate with the space having a Goa or Pondicherrylike vibe which Bengaluru was like back in the day.” Having been built for surviving hot summers without tech, they have practical benefits too. “Indoor temperature is always low because of lime plastered walls, high ceilings, sloping roofs and terracotta tiles. You’ll never need an AC,” says Subramanian.
Trouble in Paradise
All this does not mean that there are no aches and cracks involved. Kaash, being on sunken land beside the Indian Christian Cemetery, is prone to monsoon flooding. Radhakrishnan adds that at Panchavati, restorations and additions like an amphitheatre have been made across decades, but an intensive operation to open it "We’re at the initial stages of restoration now, and with old buildings, it’s often one surprise after another. When it is completed in 2027-28, though, it will be one of the main science and cultural spaces in North Bengaluru.”
Despite it all, though, none would trade their space for another. As Jhunjhunwala puts it, “We have strange problems that not many other restaurants face, but these are small problems we work around. It’s a part of our process now.”
The key to keeping a heritage venue thriving for another century is to treat it like a living, breathing body, shares Subramanian, “Buildings are like bodies, if you have a problem, you must diagnose it immediately, else a leakage will affect the rafters, causing more leakage, destroy the flooring and damage the windows. If carefully maintained, they can survive another 100 - 150 years."