The 104-year-old Capitol Hall, the famous landmark of Darjeeling, is set to embrace the hills' timeless treasures — Darjeeling Tea and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR).

The Darjeeling municipality, housed in the Capitol Hall, said that plans were afoot to set up an art gallery and museums on Darjeeling Tea and the DHR in the century-old building.

“We have started preparing plans to set up one museum each on the DHR and Darjeeling Tea. The aim is to script a new chapter for the revival of the Capitol Hall,” municipal chairman Dipendra Thakuri said.

Lord Ronaldshay laid the foundation of the Capitol Hall on October 27, 1917, and inaugurated the building after its completion on May 27, 1921. The Maharaja of Cooch Behar contributed around half the construction cost that stood around ₹2.5 lakh.

A movie theatre used to operate out of the Capitol Hall, but it was shut down in the mid-1980s.

“We are in touch with the stakeholders of the Darjeeling Tea industry and will contact DHR officials to set up the museums,” said Thakuri.

The Capitol Hall is located at Ladenla Road and near the hill town's prominent promenade called Chowrasta. The interior of the hall has remained largely ignored.

“We are looking at renovating the interior and converting it into a banquet hall that can be hired by the public,” said Thakuri, who added that the rental could be used to sustain the museums and the art gallery.

The civic body wants to create a space for artists in the hall’s courtyard.

“The idea is to allow artists to come up with their works. If they want, we will also make arrangements to display their work at the gallery that we will construct,” said Thakuri.

The previous municipal board had illuminated the Capitol Hall's clock tower, and it is now a major tourist draw. The present board plans to construct a selfie point as there is a rush among tourists to take pictures in front of the tower.

The 75-foot-tall tower had a turret clock with a diameter of almost seven feet.