Groppi, famed for its rich pastries, is one of the landmarks of downtown Cairo. According to the book Khedivian Cairo, by Soheir Zaki Hawas, the “Salon de thé Groppi” (Groppi Tea Hall), building number 21, was built in 1924 by architect A Castaman. Groppi, on Mahmoud Bek Bassiouni Street, off Qasr Al-Nil Street in Talaat Harb Square (originally Suleiman Pasha Square), is six storeys tall and is built in the classic art deco style. With a garden in the back for musicians, Groppi was first used for cultural salons and then for political meetings between members of opposition parties in Egypt, all the way up to the Hosni Mubarak era. Talaat Harb and the square carrying the same name were named after Talaat Harb Pasha who built Bank Misr (The Bank of Egypt) in 1920. The aim was to build a strong Egyptian economy by Egyptianising most industries, including textile, cotton, tourism and cinema, like Studio Misr (Egypt Studio). According to Hawas, in 1863 Khedive Ismail, during the beginning of his reign, thought of enhancing the buildings in Cairo which were of primitive block from medieval times and surrounded by walls and locked gates at night, to the current Paris of the East style. He was determined to make Cairo look like a part of Europe, and so he did. He asked a French architect and a friend named Georges-Eugene Haussmann to re-plan the streets of Cairo. It took them five years to rebuild Cairo. They also filled in the lakes with soil and transformed them into squares, including Tahrir Square (work started in 1906 and ended in 1913) and Talaat Harb Square. In April this year, the government decided to renovate classical downtown buildings to regain the spirit of Khedivian Cairo that has been almost vanished. The number of such downtown classic buildings, considered a museum displaying the work of architects from around the world, is approximately 300. “The Khedivian Cairo project is under the auspices of the governorate of Cairo, represented by Professor Hawas and the Cultural Coordination Organisation,” said Emad Mounir, manager of the Palaces and Antiquities Renovation Department at the Arab Contractors, a contracting company partly owned by the government. “We have the honour of renovating all the unique buildings that date back to the time of the Khedive Ismail and started the first phase by renovating all the buildings in Al-Alfi Street and Talaat Harb Square. We do not just paint but we also renovate the buildings themselves and restore the sculptures, then clean the buildings up.” The buildings have many things in common, says Hawas. According to government instructions, they were all built on condition that they would cost at least LE2,000, a fortune at the time, so that they would be as big as possible. Statues and other artistic works were replicated many times in the same building, and each building was six to seven storeys tall. “I believe it's good that the government is paying the expenses of the renovation of these buildings. This is a sign of civilisation,” Samir Zaki, a downtown clothes shop owner, said. “I think they're doing a very good job. The best place they've renovated so far is Orabi Square which resembles the buildings in Paris. They've been working under a lot of pressure to finish,” added another shop owner on Ramses Street. The Arab Contractors also renovated the Italian Consulate and the nearby buildings that were damaged after a terrorist car bomb attack in July. “We are working on preventing further damage after the attack. Some houses were affected differently depending on the state of each building. Some homes were severely damaged; others were slightly damaged. We renovated 54 buildings that were damaged in the area,” says Mounir. The team was assigned by the governorate to start renovating in July before the Muslim Eid Al-Fitr feast which follows a month of fasting and have been working round the clock since, according to Mounir. “The biggest problem we have is that some building owners in the districts we have been working in do not want to pay for renovation work,” complains Mounir, adding that the governorate of Cairo as well as the Ministry of Endowments and Misr Insurance Company are partly financing the project with some donors, including Egyptian Bank Union. Renovation expert and consultant engineer Abbas Mahmoud, who renovated the downtown Café Riche, assesses the downtown renovation process. “These buildings have valuable architectural designs, so when working on them, renovators should work on showing their beauty, especially the artistic aspects of the buildings. Some of the buildings were completely covered by paint using one colour which covered their beauty and uniqueness.” Mahmoud gives an example: when a statue, sculpture or ornament on one of the buildings is painted, it should not be painted completely but only partly so that its features are clear. “What is important is preserving the buildings themselves from the inside. For example, they should have fixed the sewage system in these buildings because they are beginning to affect their foundations.” “I am a downtown resident and I am ready to pay for such renovation because this will benefit the residents of the neighbourhood,” Mahmoud said. “If there is someone who doesn't want to pay for the renovation of a building he lives in, the government should make sure he does. This will guarantee a longer life for these buildings. “They should also fix the electricity because it is very old and could cause a fire.” Mahmoud added that the government should not allow factories to operate in such buildings; this would mean more wear and tear for the structures. It should move workshops to the industrial zones that are more suitable, according to Mahmoud. “In many countries, shop signs are only 30cm by 40cm in order not to spoil the beauty of these buildings. The same should be done here in Cairo.” “We are only responsible for the work that our company has been doing. We are a specialised department in the field of renovation and we are registered as renovators with the Ministry of Antiquities and Ministry of Culture. We also have an ISO certificate in renovation,” Mounir said. “We are working according to a scientific basis and if there is any mistake or problem, then it must be in the work of other contractor companies,” adding that they were the department that moved Ramses Statue from Ramses Street near to the new Egyptian Museum. He said historical sites Al-Ghouri Mosque, Al-Fath Mosque, Qalawon Mosque, Al-Muizz Street and Al-Selehdar have been renovated “so it is impossible that we would renovate downtown buildings in a different way”. “We are ready for any plan that Cairo governorate draws up. We are currently working on four buildings in Emadeddin Street after we conducted research on the materials we use because these buildings are unique, especially those that have domes on their roofs,” Mounir said. “We also plan to renovate the Ministry of Endowments.”
