Officials raze 100-year-old hall saying it was beyond repair

After a hundred years of standing tall, the historical Krumbiegel Lecture Hall at Lalbagh Botanical Garden has been razed to the ground.

On Wednesday, a JCB was seen removing the remains of the demolished hall.

The building had been in disrepair for several years and a few weeks ago, a portion of the hall collapsed following a spate of heavy rain. With the structure razed, Bengaluru has lost yet another piece of its history.

Irreparable state

The Horticulture Department, which is responsible for the maintenance of Lalbagh, did not take up restoration work despite requests from conservationists and historians.

Stating that the structure was beyond repair, M. Jagadeesh, joint director, Horticulture, Parks and Gardens, said: “The building was being maintained by the PWD. With time, cracks developed and widened causing leakage. The building was in an irreparable state. There was no other option, but to demolish it.”

The lecture hall was dedicated to Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel, the man whose contribution to the city’s green cover is well-known.