How it works

Step 1: The team locates a site that is in a rundown or destroyed state and photographs the site. As can be seen, this site, known as the Mathuresh Bhawan, is in a rundown state. There is poorly planned wiring all over the façade of the building, large amounts of decay to the original limewater pasting, many of the windows have been changed, and the entrance is even blocked off.

Step 2: The team tries to find information on how the building used to look by observing other buildings in the area and by learning about the traditional architecture of the location. Then, the team works with local artists and architects to create renderings of the site. In this example, the wires are not longer there, the windows have been rendered to their original state, and the limewater paste has been rendered in the image.

Step 3: The team tries to find the history of the site by researching in local libraries and by interviewing local historians. The history of this sample building is shown below.

The Mathuresh Bhawan was so named because it was originally owned by Shri Mathur Prasad Saxena of the Kayastha caste. The building was built in 1890 and had one courtyard. In 1892, the building of the third floor began and six years later, a temple was added to the haveli when the owner’s eldest daughter’s husband died at a young age. In 1936, electrical lines were set up in front of the house and water lines followed four years later. In 1952, the third and fourth floors were made by Jag Mohan Prasad Saxena. Now, shops have encroached upon the home including in front of the entrance.