A 151-year-old landmark, the Parochial House attached to the St Anthony’s Church in Malwani has been demolished for widening the busy Malad-Marve Road.
The priests of the church who used the building as their residence had fought unsuccessfully to save the building from demolition. In 2021, the then Parish Priest had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, challenging the notice issued by the municipal corporation to acquire church land that fell within the regular line of the public street.
The church demolished the building a few days later as part of the mutual agreement with the municipal corporation which will compensate the church for the loss of the structure. The Parochial House was the only structure left on the road after other buildings were demolished to widen the road.
Church to appeal for higher compensation
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The church has been paid ₹4.34 as compensation for the land and building, but Father Cajetan Menezes, the Parish Priest said that they are not satisfied with the amount of compensation. “Negotiations were going on and the matter has been solved amicably. We are not happy with the compensation and we will appeal for a higher compensation,” said Father Menezes.
The building was built in 1872 as the residence of priests who serve at the church which was rebuilt in 1835. St Anthony’s Church can trace back its history to AD 1630.
The Parochial House was built in a blend of architectural styles, with a large front porch called a balcoe inspired by Baroque and Portuguese styles. The structure resembled buildings in Goa and urban villages like Matharpacady and Khotachiwadi in Mumbai. A note on the building says that the architectural style of the Parochial House complements the classical style of the church.
During the hearing of the petition filed by the parish priest of the church, the court had said that the structure is not of significant heritage value and there is no objection to the widening of the road to the road line by removing the structure."
The compensation will allow the church to construct another building in the church premises.
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