Awaiting facelift: The Jorasanko Thakurbari. A Telegraph picture

Jorasanko Thakurbari is set to be renovated and decked up befitting its heritage status.

Work on the project, to be handled by Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) which is housed in the heritage structure, is likely to start after monsoon and is scheduled to be over in 2011, the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

“Parts of the house are in need of urgent repairs,” said RBU vice-chancellor Karuna Sindhu Das. “The authorities have been working on the revamp plan for the past 10 years. Shifting the fine arts and visual arts departments to the Emerald Bower campus on BT Road is part of the project.”

The Rs 15-crore revamp will be supervised by the 11-member Jorasanko Thakurbari Punarbinyas Committee, which includes consultant architect Arunendu Banerjee.

Built around 1785 by Nilmoni Thakur, the floors and walls of the Thakurbari, now spread across 35,000 sq m, have cracked in several places. Some of the railings and arches are in a dilapidated state and parts of the structure are covered with fungus.

“The focus in the first phase will be on conservation of the architecture to arrest further deterioration, to be followed by preservation. As decided by the university, work will start from the rear side of Maharshi Bhavan,” said Banerjee.

The buildings that will be renovated include Maharshi Bhavan, Vichitra Bhavan and a part of Baithakkhanabari (5 Dwarkanath Tagore Lane). There is a proposal to add a façade to more recent buildings, including Prashasan Bhavan, Sangeet Bhavan and Kala Bhavan, so they blend well architecturally with the other buildings on campus.

The complex will house an art gallery, academy of dance, drama and music, and research centres. Also on the anvil are a food pavilion, sales counter and a water body. “We will plant trees that were there during the days of Tagore,” Banerjee said.

Suranjana Bhattacharya, the member-secretary of the Thakurbari Punarbinyas Committee and the public relations officer of RBU, said the revamp would be themed on the Bengali Renaissance of 19th Century.

“Tagore had talked about terraces that used to hold majlish and get-together of the women of the family. We want to mark the spots and preserve them for public viewing,” Bhattacharya said. “Some of the terraces are inaccessible as they are in a poor shape and also because of security.”

Work will start with an initial UGC allotment of Rs 50 lakh. “We will approach the Union culture ministry, state government, Calcutta Municipal Corporation and private companies for funds. We also had a talk with foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is president of Rabindra Bharati Society. He has promised to visit the campus and do the needful,” said vice-chancellor Das. “Once work starts, funds will hopefully pour in,” he added.

The vice-chancellor called for Jorasanko Thakurbari to be declared a national monument.