Quaid-e-Azam’s House wears a deserted look
February 11, 2007
KARACHI: The city has been blessed with a rich heritage of buildings but as an unfortunate reality, most of these beautiful and distinctive buildings now appear in a state of neglect.
It’s appreciable that our government is engaged in improving the city’s infrastructure - as a number of flyovers, underpasses and parks are being inaugurated all around the city. However, the majestic structures of Karachi fail to attract the authorities’ attention.
The Quaid-e-Azam House Museum is one of the 600 buildings in town that in 1997 became legally protected under the 1994 law after constant efforts by the ‘Heritage Foundation’.
Due to its prime location, several organisations were interested in acquiring the property - not for conservation but for demolishing and building something new. The bungalow lay neglected until 1985 and then the Government of Pakistan acquired it, restored and declared a national monument as Quaid-e-Azam House Museum.
There are about 537 objects in the museum in which the major sources of attraction are the furniture, rugs and carpets, shoes, and the Quaid’s writing table. The main objective of the Museum that was started in 1993 is to display the personal effects of the Father of Nation and to educate people on their leader’s life.
But the structure wasn’t lucky enough to get the attention of visitors that it had deserved. The place sadly gives an empty and deserted look and a passer-by couldn’t even be conscious of the fact that he was crossing beside the house of the ‘Father of the Nation.
History reveals that it was during the last decade of the 19th century that a designer by the name of Moses Somake built this bungalow on Fatima Jinnah Road that was known as Bonus Road at that time. The architect designed the main double storeyed bungalow that was initially designated Flagstaff House, whereas the annexe was added later.
The Quaid-e-Azam had visited the charming bungalow in 1943 with the purpose of acquiring it and finally purchased it in March 1944. However the Quaid didn’t stay in his new house and it was after the establishment of Pakistan, when it was furnished with his belongings and furniture that had been brought from his Delhi and Bombay residences. After the Quaid’s death in September 1948, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah lived in the house up until 1964. The house then served as the headquarters of the Combined Opposition Parties during the General Elections of 1965.
The bungalow’s face has a symmetrical arrangement, with two wings adjoining the central porch that carries the projecting part of the verandah. Simple arcading and sloping roofs using red clay tiles are the architectural ingredients of this attractive bungalow. However, a distinctive element at the time of its construction was the introduction of the semicircular balconies, which also appeared in other buildings later.
The Director of the Southern Circle of Archeology, Qasim Ali Qasim disclosed that about 2.5 million from the Annual Development Fund (ADF) had been spent on the renovation of the house last year.
According to him, the building is every bit in a fine condition after the renovation. Were this to be true, one could well imagine the state of those hundreds of heritage buildings towards the upkeep of which not a single rupee is spent.
It’s appreciable that our government is engaged in improving the city’s infrastructure - as a number of flyovers, underpasses and parks are being inaugurated all around the city. However, the majestic structures of Karachi fail to attract the authorities’ attention.
The Quaid-e-Azam House Museum is one of the 600 buildings in town that in 1997 became legally protected under the 1994 law after constant efforts by the ‘Heritage Foundation’.
Due to its prime location, several organisations were interested in acquiring the property - not for conservation but for demolishing and building something new. The bungalow lay neglected until 1985 and then the Government of Pakistan acquired it, restored and declared a national monument as Quaid-e-Azam House Museum.
There are about 537 objects in the museum in which the major sources of attraction are the furniture, rugs and carpets, shoes, and the Quaid’s writing table. The main objective of the Museum that was started in 1993 is to display the personal effects of the Father of Nation and to educate people on their leader’s life.
But the structure wasn’t lucky enough to get the attention of visitors that it had deserved. The place sadly gives an empty and deserted look and a passer-by couldn’t even be conscious of the fact that he was crossing beside the house of the ‘Father of the Nation.
History reveals that it was during the last decade of the 19th century that a designer by the name of Moses Somake built this bungalow on Fatima Jinnah Road that was known as Bonus Road at that time. The architect designed the main double storeyed bungalow that was initially designated Flagstaff House, whereas the annexe was added later.
The Quaid-e-Azam had visited the charming bungalow in 1943 with the purpose of acquiring it and finally purchased it in March 1944. However the Quaid didn’t stay in his new house and it was after the establishment of Pakistan, when it was furnished with his belongings and furniture that had been brought from his Delhi and Bombay residences. After the Quaid’s death in September 1948, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah lived in the house up until 1964. The house then served as the headquarters of the Combined Opposition Parties during the General Elections of 1965.
The bungalow’s face has a symmetrical arrangement, with two wings adjoining the central porch that carries the projecting part of the verandah. Simple arcading and sloping roofs using red clay tiles are the architectural ingredients of this attractive bungalow. However, a distinctive element at the time of its construction was the introduction of the semicircular balconies, which also appeared in other buildings later.
The Director of the Southern Circle of Archeology, Qasim Ali Qasim disclosed that about 2.5 million from the Annual Development Fund (ADF) had been spent on the renovation of the house last year.
According to him, the building is every bit in a fine condition after the renovation. Were this to be true, one could well imagine the state of those hundreds of heritage buildings towards the upkeep of which not a single rupee is spent.
