Museum 'renovation' comes under fire

Museum 'renovation' comes under fire

The Royal Fine Arts Department is again being criticised over its restoration work. This time, a 115-year-old building has been decorated with aluminium glazing and reflective window panes.
The Royal Fine Arts Department is again being criticised over its restoration work. This time, a 115-year-old building has been decorated with aluminium glazing and reflective window panes.

After being closed for three years for renovations that cost 34.8 million baht, the Nan National Museum has recently reopened -- only to be greeted with trenchant criticism over the outcome of the refurbishment.

The most common complaint is that the renovated 115-year-old building now looks out of step with its status as a historic building situated in the old town area of this northern city.

Some architectural preservation experts have noted that certain details of the renovation simply do not harmonise with the old-style architecture.

The aluminium doors and their stainless steel knobs have caused them to raise their eyebrows.

The glaring aluminium features are just a start. The new designs of the pediment and the portico as well as its fresh paint and new roof tiles, have sparked criticism about the suitability of the renovation to the context of old building preservation.

It is not the first that time the Fine Arts Department (FAD) has been criticised for its restoration jobs.

The latest and most notorious is the Temple of Dawn. In that case, the department had polished the pagoda and splashed it with glaring white paint.

Chollada Sangworn, head of the Nan museum, begged for understanding.

The Royal Fine Arts Department is again being criticised over its restoration work. This time, a 115-year-old building has been decorated with aluminium glazing and reflective window panes.

The main purpose of the renovation was to restore its initial design as much as possible, she said.

A team of architects and arts experts from the Office of the National Museum (ONM) had traced the history of the building by studying photographs and other historical references, she said.

The designs of the pediment and the portico, for instance, have been changed because the renovation team had found pictures showing how the pediment and the portico of the building actually looked during the reign of King Rama V, she said.

The building was repainted pastel yellow instead of its previous white colour because when the building's paint was scraped to its innermost layer, it was found to be pastel yellow, not white, she said.

But when it came to the aluminium door, the museum head, apparently bowed to public criticism, saying the museum will discuss the matter with the ONM.

However, she insisted the building's old door was also made from aluminium; but the new door may contrast too much with the building's new paint colour.

The Nan National Museum was originally a residence of Phra Chao Suriyaphong Pharitdet, the Phra Chao Nakhon Nan (ruler of Nan city), who built it in 1903 as a two-storey brick and concrete house on a 14-rai plot of land.

The Royal Fine Arts Department is again being criticised over its restoration work. This time, a 115-year-old building has been decorated with aluminium glazing and reflective window panes.

Long after that the last Nan ruler, Chao Maha Phrom Surathada, passed away, so his children gave up ownership of the house and handed it to the state.

It once served as Nan's city hall until a new one was later built. The FAD then took over the building and in 1974 turned it into a national museum.

The museum was named Nan National Museum in 1985 and later was inaugurated by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Aug 14, 1987.

On display at the museum are artworks, artefacts and exhibitions featuring the history and the way of life of local northern people and hill tribe ethnic minorities.

Most importantly, the "black elephant ivory" is seen as a highlight of the museum.

Some tourism business operators in Nan have also expressed their frustration at what they described as an eclectic mixture of historical references.

They say the renovation team had referred to architectural styles in different eras in its work, which will only confuse later generations as to what era the building is refurbished to reflect.

Questions have been raised over the FAD's standards in preserving and developing old architecture.

"I have to say that the aluminium doors and their knobs are the most unpleasant of all. That shows a lack of good taste and it doesn't harmonise with Nan's unique character," said Anurak Thurakijseri, 47, the owner and editor of Hi Nan, a local tourism magazine.

The explanation that the renovation team intended to return the building to its previous architectural style from King Rama V's reign will only confuse later generations as the renovation of the portico of the building was instead based on historical references during a visit by the late King Rama IX, he said.

"This has raised questions over the FAD's standards [in renovating and preserving old buildings] and as to what laws and rules the department normally follows [when making decisions about such renovations]", he said.

For Jaturon Lohachot, 30, the owner of Ban Khun Luang, a restaurant in Nan, the renovation of the Nan National Museum reflected a lack of direction in tourism-related development in the province.

As the province is being positioned as an old town type of tourist destination, most tourist attractions in the province are being modernised to ensure tourists' convenience, he said, adding that this matter needs serious discussion to find common ground in the direction of tourism development.

Ms Chollada has, however, insisted that before the renovation plans for the museum were approved and implemented, several public hearings were conducted in 2015 to gauge opinion.

The restoration started that year and finished in 2017.

Ms Chollada said the FAD did not have deaf ears to criticism.

The department will note concerns over the outcome of the museum renovation and will submit them to the ONM for consideration.

The Royal Fine Arts Department is again being criticised over its restoration work. This time, a 115-year-old building has been decorated with aluminium glazing and reflective window panes.

The Royal Fine Arts Department is again being criticised over its restoration work. This time, a 115-year-old building has been decorated with aluminium glazing and reflective window panes.

The Royal Fine Arts Department is again being criticised over its restoration work. This time, a 115-year-old building has been decorated with aluminium glazing and reflective window panes.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (9)