When Spanish luxury fashion brand Zara opened its flagship store in Mumbai in 2017—at the 119-year-old Ismail Building near the Flora Fountain precinct in Fort—it marked a new chapter in the country’s luxury retail landscape. The heritage-listed property, with its unmissable facade, became a prime example of the adaptive reuse of historic spaces —leading to not only the conservation of legacy buildings, but also the creation of distinctive experiences for visitors.
The store was considered one of Zara’s most aesthetically impressive outlets globally, comparable only to its Champs-Élysées location in Paris. However, earlier this year, it vacated the building—an Edwardian Neoclassical architectural marvel— giving way to luxury fashion brand Purple Style Labs. Founded in 2015, Purple Style Labs retails high-end designer brands under Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop brand. It reportedly leased the Ismail Building for a period of five years.
“Ismail Building isn’t just a space; it’s a statement, and this deal reinforces its place at the pinnacle of Mumbai’s commercial heritage,” says Vivek Gupta, owner of Trusthouse Realty, which brokered the deal.
Architectural marvels
Mumbai has several retail spaces that bring together heritage, luxury and design under one umbrella. Examples are Anita Dongre’s flagship store in the 200-year-old Sassoon Building in Kala Ghoda, and fine jewellery brand The House of Rose’s flagship store in Ballard Estate. The Sassoon Building may have witnessed many changes over the years, but it was restored to its original form to house Dongre’s store—complete with stained glass windows, the tiles, the timber beams, and the staircase —which, in the words of the designer, was “to bring back the luxury of 19th-century Bombay by blending in the effortless grace of 21st-century Mumbai”. “It’s been a particular joy to realise a vision that mixes Indian crafts with colonial architecture against art that celebrates nature’s bounty,” she says.
For The House of Rose’s store at Ballard Estate, the heritage journey starts the moment the customer arrives, says Zaki Shaikh, founder and principal architect of Parthenon Architects, the design firm behind the project. “This transformation mirrors the very ethos of the brand. It displays creativity and heritage, featuring nine artistically curated arched windows, each narrating a unique story of luxury and art,” he adds.
Similarly, Harpal House, built in the 1950s as a chawl-type building, was redone by architect Nikhil Mahashur, founder of Nikhil Mahashur & Associates, to match the eclectic style of Kala Ghoda. “The building lacked design elements like motifs. We got these plastered on the building facade. Once it was done, the project was commercially viable,” says Mahashur.
Meanwhile, down south, architecture firm Studio Lotus has worked on massive redevelopment of the derelict cluster of Lakshmi Mills in Coimbatore. As per the phased redevelopment, 12 acres of the 21-acre site were converted into a bustling hub, attracting a significant footfall of 2,500-3,500 visitors on weekdays and 6,000-10,000 on weekends. Newly established businesses have exceeded their expectations, reporting a 15-20% increase in sales compared to initial projections, underscoring the project’s success in revitalising the area. The ongoing development of a 120,000-sq-ft indoor street market, with future plans for a container food park, outdoor screening areas, and interactive kiosks, promises to solidify Lakshmi Mills as a vibrant epicentre of commerce and culture.
“Some buildings have been restructured to enhance circulation and functionality, with vehicular access restricted to the periphery to prioritise walkability and create a pedestrian-friendly environment,” says Ambrish Arora, founding principal, Studio Lotus.
Global evolution
Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced renovation plans for the iconic Louvre Museum in Paris under the ‘Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance’ project. Louvre is the world’s most-visited museum with an estimated 4 million visitors per year. Even as the renovation is expected to take nearly a decade, and will include a new entrance and a dedicated room displaying the Mona Lisa, the aim is to bring the museum up to modern standards at a time of international mass tourism, heightened security requirements and climate change.
Similar is the story of London’s Tate Modern Art Gallery, housed in the former Bankside Power Station, that epitomises the potential of adaptive reuse. Other examples include Brooklyn-based Co Adaptive Architecture that transformed a former metal foundry into Mercury Store, a light-filled developmental space for theatre artists; and Tournelles Cultural Centre, located in the historic Tournelles farm in Chessy in the eastern suburbs of Paris, that combines the farm’s original barns with newly erected buildings.
Closer home, the Union ministry of culture has announced a landmark partnership with France Museums Développement to develop the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum in New Delhi. The ambitious project is an integral part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project and is set to span approximately 1,55,000 sq m across the iconic North and South Blocks in the national capital. Last year, the two nations signed an MoU for the development of the museum, on the lines of the Louvre in Paris, which, when completed, would be the largest in the world. It will house an estimated 25,000-30,000 artefacts.
France’s renowned expertise in museum development, exemplified by the grand Louvre, will play a pivotal role in shaping the project. The adaptive reuse of the historic North and South Blocks will ensure the preservation of their architectural heritage while creating a vibrant and efficient cultural space . “The new museum will be retrofitted to have theme-based sections, even if the halls are divided into certain quarters and smaller rooms,” says BR Mani, director general of the National Museum of India, who signed the agreement with Herve Barbaret, director general and CEO of France Museums.
New lease of life
As per Delhi-based heritage conservationist Ajay Kumar, “The renovation of existing buildings improves their efficiency and ensures long-term sustainability that can be reused in a different capacity.
“Adaptive reuse leads to the strengthening of the structure and adds value, health and longevity to the building,” adds Kishwar Desai, author, historian and founder of the Partition Museum in Amritsar and Delhi. Desai worked on the Town Hall in Amritsar and Dara Shikoh Library Building in Delhi under the government’s ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme to convert them into the museums.
Desai further shares how the once derelict buildings’ rooms had no roof, the structure had rubble and debris, while the heritage structure was severely neglected. For adaptive reuse, Desai had to get rid of damp, mold, debris, and garbage. In Amritsar, some verandas were closed to create a dust-free zone. “Some small interventions like canopies in certain places, roof-top finishing, termite-free zones inside the building helped in strengthening the structure. We have preserved the lawns—from a totally overgrown and rubbish dump to making a clean green patch. We have worked on the drainage system of the lawn, which used to get flooded because of the low-lying area near Yamuna river,” adds Desai, who plans to start an open-air cafeteria on the theme of Partition very soon.
Given the scale of operations and maintenance, around Rs 4-5 crore in investment has already been made to convert the Partition Museum into a cultural hub to host exhibitions, music and dance events, conferences, etc. “We wanted the space to be buzzing with people. So we did the illumination of the facade, opened an eighth gallery, Sindhi gallery, dedicated to the lost homeland of Sindh. We will host many events in the near future too,” adds Desai.
Meanwhile, several heritage buildings in tourist hotspots are also being restored and re-purposed to attract more footfall. Examples include Shimla’s iconic Town Hall, a part of which has been converted into a café and houses a pizza and ice cream parlour. The Town Hall was reportedly restored at a cost of Rs 8 crore.
Similarly, the Butler Palace in Lucknow will soon become a cultural destination. The palace, originally built as the official residence of the commissioner of Avadh, Harcourt Butler, in 1915, is being transformed by the Lucknow Development Authority into a vibrant cultural hub.
In Kolkata, the Metcalfe Hall was restored by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1840 and hosts exhibitions on the history and culture of the city. Similarly, the Bhawanipur House, a decaying bungalow dating back to 1907, was restored and re-purposed as a restaurant. In Delhi, Dhan Mill Compound, a former granary and a cluster of warehouses, has been transformed into a stylish food, fashion and design destination.
Sarika Shetty, partner, SJK Architects, says, “Adaptive reuse is not just about preservation—it’s about creating meaningful connections between history and contemporary life. Heritage carries layers of memory, legacy, and cultural identity, fostering a sense of place that resonates across generations. Repurposing these spaces ensures they remain relevant.”
The restoration of Sister Nivedita’s House, a 150-year-old Grade I heritage building in north Kolkata’s Bagbazar, is an example that Shetty shares. It was once home to Sister Nivedita—born Margaret Elizabeth Noble—an Anglo-Irish teacher, author, social activist, school founder, and a disciple of Swami Vivekananda. It was the same house where she opened a school for girls in 1898 and took care of poor patients during the 1899 plague pandemic.
“Converting this residence into a public museum and learning centre meant working within an existing framework, ensuring its materiality, scale, and cultural significance. Key spaces, such as the Thakurdalan, a courtyard for worship, and the arched porch where she started her first school, were retained. By adapting the house into a museum, the space has been reimagined to include Sister Nivedita’s life and her contributions towards women’s emancipation,” adds Shetty.
Adaptive reuse
Heritage conservationist Ajay Kumar feels there are three factors essential in the adaptive reuse of a building. “Usage of building, its location and the laws of the land—adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing a building for a new purpose rather than demolishing it. Some buildings are beautiful from the outside, and others can only be modified in specific ways. While its maintenance is important, the expansion at the community level that helps earn revenue in the form of events, ticketing and footfall is also essential,” adds Kumar, who is credited to have led the repair and conservation of over 50 buildings of historical importance in Delhi including the President’s Estate and the Dara Shikoh Library Building.
But does this mean that the originality of the place is at stake? Delhi-based historian, author, art curator and heritage conservator Swapna Liddle offers, “The best way to retain the originality of the building is actually to continue to use it in the way in which it was meant to be used. Adaptive reuse ideally should come in only if there is no way in which you can carry on the same use. But if that is not possible, then you have to do adaptive reuse. So make sure the building is repaired, and use as close to the original materials as possible.”
Liddle, however, adds, “We should not think that the only purpose of conserving an old building is to turn it into some sort of an entertainment or cultural space. Why can we not have office buildings which are nicely restored historic buildings? The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament in the UK. It has undergone a restoration, not to turn it into a shopping mall, but to continue its purpose as a parliament house for the country.”