Blue plaques identifying the erstwhile Presidency College, Eden Hindu Hostel and Hare School, all on College Street, as GRADE-1 Kolkata Heritage structures have been put up outside the buildings by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.
The civic body listed the three historic institutions as Grade-1 heritage structures way back in 2009.
The objective behind putting up such plaques, which started with the installation of a plaque outside the main entrance to Rani Rashmoni’s house in Janbazar in October 2022, is to sensitise people about the history of the structures and generate a sense of pride in the city among residents, said a civic official.
Architect Partha Ranjan Das, who was engaged to supervise the renovation work at the hostel and Baker Building on the Presidency campus, said houses in London where famous people lived or epoch-making events took place have blue plaques installed outside.
The website of Presidency University says the Hindoo College, established in 1817, was transformed into the Presidency College of Bengal in 1855.
The Hindoo College was the earliest institution of higher learning in the modern sense in Asia.
The college was elevated to a state-aided university in 2011.
Eden Hindu Hostel started as an undergraduate boys’ hostel in 1886.
The hostel is divided into six wards, of which 1 and 2 were reopened in November 2018 after repairs.
Hare School was established in 1818 by David Hare.
Das said the plaques could bode well for some of these buildings.
“The remaining wards of Eden Hindu Hostel could not be repaired because of a funds crunch. Now that a blue plaque has been installed identifying the historical importance of the building, the Presidency authorities should use the honour to approach corporate houses and seek funds under corporate social responsibility (CSR) so the remaining wards can be repaired and renovated,” Das told Metro.
The government of India has now included conservation of heritage within the ambit of CSR, Das said.
A section of residents of Eden Hindu Hostel had earlier held a sit-in outside the office of the dean of students, demanding the reopening of the wards that have been lying in disrepair over the years.
