The facade of the gallery block and its current condition.

The 'renovated' staircase on the left and the original on the right. The railing details and proportions had been very carefully designed and were an integral part of this gallery and building, whaich became a classic of Indian Modernism.

Rabindra Bhavan Stairs

The left photo shows the stairs in their new karol bagh shop styling. They now ascend into the dark cavern where walls have sealed the open atrium space which used to be lit by roof skylights.

The left photo by Habib Rahman shows the roof skylights of the upper gallery and the open space overlooking the atrium. You can also see the skylights which ran all along the upper and lower galleries. On the right, walls have sealed the atrium, all the skylights have been sealed, the cheap wood floors are appropriate to a clothing store. Also note the plastic ropes installed to hang the art.

The mound between the two buildings was left because there was a small ruin there with graves. It had deliberately been left naturally landscaped. Over the years the ruins were obliterated and the mound was made higher. Three tiers of granite steps were added which completely destroyed the spatial relationship between the buildings.