Delhi’s rich architectural legacy is steadily eroding, as historic homes are demolished to make way for generic modern structures. A Spanish-style Baroque house in South Delhi, soon to be replaced by a developer-built building, symbolizes the city’s vanishing identity. Historian Anica Mann calls this trend the “death of architecture in Delhi,” a reflection of the broader loss of cultural memory.
Older homes, designed with courtyards, terrazzo floors, and storage spaces, fostered community and practicality. These features are disappearing as modern constructions prioritize resale value and cost-effectiveness over character and warmth. Mann’s Delhi Houses project archives these architectural treasures, capturing stories of Mughal-era arches, Partition-era refugee homes, and spaces like barsatis (rooftop rooms) that once defined Delhi’s communal living.
The discussion at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art emphasized how shifting societal dynamics, nuclear families, and property divisions have erased shared spaces. Mann also highlighted the resilience of post-Partition refugee families, whose homes were built as testaments to hope and survival.
As modernity overtakes tradition, Delhi’s architectural soul faces extinction, leaving behind memories of a city that once celebrated culture, connection, and history in every brick and courtyard.
Source:TOI
