SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — A $9 million complete demolition and remodel of the historic Gadar Memorial will begin in July of next year, four years after the project was first announced.
Originally built in 1914 and refurbished in 1974, the Gadar Memorial is considered the birthplace of the political party which bears the same name. A movement led party that was created by Sikh Americans to support India’s independence from the British.
“The hearts and minds of the valiant patriots who fought for India’s freedom are engraved there,” Inder Singh, chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, said. Singh has been one of the most vocal advocates of the project, he and other members of the local Indian American community have been calling for the building’s restoration to resemble the original structure in the spirit of historical accuracy.
“The current building does not give the impression of the old Gadar Memorial, where the people who sacrificed their lives for India’s freedom slept, worked and lived.”
Located at 5 Wood Street in San Francisco’s Richmond District, the building was known as the Yugantar Ashram for several years. The Gadar Party, led and funded by farmers of the Central Valley and students from UC Berkeley, stored an electronic printing press inside of the building, and printed out 10,000 copies of a six-page newspaper every week, which was then distributed throughout the U.S. and sent by ship to India, Singh said. The newspaper’s first edition was written in Urdu by Lal Har Dayal, then translated into Punjabi, and stamped and addressed manually.
Between 10 and 20 people worked tirelessly around the clock on authoring, printing and circulating the newspaper, Singh added. The first edition was sent out in November of 1913.
The memorial hall of the building was partially restored in 1974, a project which cost $183,000. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first to suggest the building be restored, comments he made during the party’s centenary celebrations in 2013. The announcement came from Singh during the Pravasi Diwas celebrations in Kerala that year, noting the impact of the Gadar Party to gaining India’s independence.
That same year, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco submitted plans for the restoration, and the Indian government allocated $4 million for the restoration to take place.
However, costs of the project have now increased to $9 million, according to Paul Dhiman, the architect overseeing the restoration project. Dhiman, of San Francisco-based MEI Architects, said the initial proposal had not taken into account interior improvements or a replication of the facade true to its 1913 form. Showcases, a kitchen and several other amenities of the building were left out of the initial plans as well, he said.
The new project, including its extra $5 million, is awaiting approval from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, headed by Sushma Swaraj. Dhiman said he’s not sure when the additional funds will be approved, however, Swaraj gave his firm the “go-ahead” signal for the project in May.
Venkatesan Ashok, India’s consul general in San Francisco, confirmed the existing structure would be torn down completely. A new four-story building, complete with the true 1913 facade, will be built in its place. The building will also feature a library where researchers will have access to digital versions of Gadar Party archives, a project which was developed with collaboration from UC Berkeley. The museum inside will house various pieces of party memorabilia, and permanent onsite residences will be included for a curator.
