Save Faletti’s

In the middle of Lahore lies one of the oldest jewels of the city, the Faletti’s Hotel. It is a part of Lahore’s rich cultural heritage and remains one of the finest establishments in the country. However, the owners of the hotel have begun planning its demolishment to make way for other facilities, such as a shopping mall and office alongside the existing accommodation facility.
Established in 1880 during the colonial era, it is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The hotel dates back to the time of the Napoleonic wars that destroyed most of Europe in the eighteenth century. Researchers claim that the Faletti clan of Saglinomicca and Piedmonte in Italy were famous for their excellent cuisine and eateries spread all across Europe. During the Napoleonic wars, the Faletti clan began to expand their operations to other countries, such as the US, South America, France and the UK.
In 1848, a gentleman named Andrei Faletti moved to Lahore from England and began to reside in Tehsil bazaar inside Bhati Gate. Eventually, he shifted to a flat on top of the mall where he set up his company and planned the construction of Faletti’s hotel. He was assisted by the then governor of Punjab, Sir Robert Davis, alongside two architectural designers, Anderson of Simla and the famous Bhai Ram Singh. The latter also happened to be a professor at the Mayo School of Arts in Lahore. Approval for the project was granted in 1879 in town hall and by 1880, the hotel was constructed and ready for customers. Sir Robert Egerton, who was the governor of Punjab at the time, inaugurated the hotel.
In the beginning, it had 44 rooms, fully equipped and decorated in the Victorian tradition and guests generally arrived in horse-driven buggies. It was almost as though England had been recreated in a part of Lahore. In the beginning the hotel was only used by British officials, rajas, nawabs and the emerging entrepreneurs of the Subcontinent.
In 1897, the management of the hotel was granted permission to expand the number of rooms to 68. Currently, only 38 rooms are operational and are carrying on the legacy and heritage of the Victorian era in Lahore. In 1905, Andrei Faletti passed away and was buried in the Royal Artillery Bazaar graveyard in Lahore.
In 1942, several companies and assets were taken over by Mohan Singh Oberoi, including Faletti’s Hotel. Oberoi, born in Chakwal, ultimately became the owner of this group of companies.
Even after 1947 when the Subcontinent was partitioned, the hotels remained with the group. But after the war in September 1965, the entire range of assets and companies belonging to the group were handed over to the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation. It may be worth mentioning that several great people have stayed at this hotel, including Allama Iqbal, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir and Begum Aga Khan, Eva Gardener, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Pandit Nehru, Lord and Lady Mountbatten and Justice Cornelius. People in the entertainment industry also stayed here, such as Marlyn Brando, Duke Ellington, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapur and Muhammad Rafi. All the rooms in the hotel carry rich memories of the Subcontinent’s history.
Recently, the owners decided to construct a 40-plus storey building in its place and have planned to not take any more bookings from July 2016 onwards. The demolition of this hotel will go beyond just the physical structure of the hotel. While it may be considered a worthwhile investment in economic terms, these plans would destroy the beauty of the region and affect surrounding buildings which will be overshadowed by the new structure. Important buildings such as the provincial assembly will lose value and importance in comparison to this new building.
It would be a shame if such an important part of our culture is demolished for the sake of economic returns. The concerned authorities must take action and ensure that this important part of Lahore’s history remains as is. According to unofficial sources, however, the new owners are related to top officials in the government and it will be exceptionally difficult to prevent their plans from proceeding forward.
Nevertheless, there is one way for the government to take action. It can declare the building a national monument in order for it to remain untouched by anyone. By doing so, one can present the argument that tampering with the property in any way would violate and interfere with its historical legacy.
Moreover, the rooms that were occupied by Jinnah, Justice Cornelius, Pandit Nehru and other luminaries of the past can be converted into a museum that could provide a valuable insight into country’s long and rich history. This would be an avenue of educating the coming generations and tourists about the finer elements of Pakistani culture which hardly anyone pays attention to.
It is the responsibility of the government to not only preserve this ornament of Lahore, but also carry out a survey of sorts in other parts of the country to see what other buildings qualify as national heritage sites and require preservation. Such steps will be essential in creating a softer image of Pakistan in the world.
One would expect the present owners of Faletti’s Hotel to understand the importance it holds as a part of Lahore’s cultural heritage. Unfortunately, it seems that the accumulation of money is valued more than preserving Pakistan’s history and culture. One hopes that the relevant authorities are able to take action regarding this issue before it is too late.
Email: zarnatta@hotmail.com