Ever visited Cinnamon Cafe? This place can be listed as one of the fun places for weekend outings. If not, read the story of this place which transformed from a heritage site to a plush cafe.
Rai Bahadur Arcot Narrainswamy Mudaliar, a philanthropist and social reformer, climbed his way to fortune from almost nothing. He set up a number of schools, colleges and hostels, believing that universal education is the primary concern of the moment.
In 1867 began the Great Famine. The whole of South India reeled under the calamity. The worst affected by the disaster however, were the destitute orphans of the region.
Stirred by their miserable condition, Mudaliar set up a temporary orphanage for their benefit, which he later decided to make permanent. The Viceroy and Governor General of India, the Marquess of Lansdowne, laid down the foundation of the building on 23rd of November 1892.
A century later, husband-wife duo, Radhika and Anupam Poddar, the owners of Cinnamon, move this multi-designer boutique from its premises at Walton Road to a new location – a once decrepit colonial building, right by the RBANM school-grounds, that has now been carefully restored.
The reconstruction was a challenging project, Radhika Poddar points out, with the bungalow initially in a stage of great disrepair. With the help of star architect Sumitro Ghosh and his team though, the Poddars have managed to achieve a creditable result – their recreated bungalow functions as a portal into an imagined past.
The foundation stone can still be spotted in a corner of the restored house with its accompanying sign – a fragment of important regional history.
Out of a deliberate desire to preserve the authenticity of this heritage building, the Poddars decided to keep its structure intact, retaining wherever possible original elements of its construction – the flooring and pillars that prop up the main entrance, for example, are remnants of the older edifice itself.
The vintage atmosphere that envelopes one when entering Cinnamon is facilitated by the attention paid to details. Stained glass windows, arched entrances, antique brass pots, framed Ravi Varma prints, and stone sculptures complement this atmosphere.
The organic transformation between old and new that Cinnamon builds through space, is also reflected in its collection where Bidri work, marble inlay, and Bandhani prints are seamlessly integrated with contemporary designs.
The brick mortar work underlying the plastered walls have been constructed with ramps and structural provisions throughout to make it wheelchair friendly.
As a multi-store complex, Cinnamon houses at present, collections from Artdinox, Jason Cherian, Rasa, Almirah, Sacred Lotus, Sanchita Ajamput, and PUDU.
Two of these are showcased in rooms that offset the central building, but the rest adjoin the old sunlit courtyard at the back of the building, its columns restored to an earlier glory.
The sign board by the gate itself, a repainted unused road sign, proclaims that Cinnamon is the finest in Indian contemporary design – a fruitful instance of how heritage spaces can be reconsidered and imagined.
While Cinnamon is sure one of our favourites, at FlippAR Go, our constant effort is to bring to you more such interesting places, with compelling stories. Look up the app for these and also avail some exclusive offers along with it.