General Post Office Murree Hills, Punjab, Pakistan

General Post Office Murree Hills


These photographs are of commemorative boards and British times beautiful building of General Post Office located at Mall road Murree Hills, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as Post Office at Lower Mall in 1867. The present land measuring 0.55 acres was purchased in 1904 from Raja of Kashmir state. The Gazetter of Rawalpindi district 1893-94 recorded that Murree Post Office was working as Disbursing Sub office with the facilities of combined post & telegraph, money order and saving bank. Later it was upgraded to Head Post Office. It was upgraded to class-1 GPO w. e. f 07-05-1983 under the charge of Gazetted Postmaster. The post office Murree functioned under the administrative control of Superintendent Post Offices Rawalpindi Division, Islamabad Postal Division & Murree Kahuta Division at present. When Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah visited Murree in 1944, Royal reception was given to Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah at Post office Chowk. GPO Murree building was restored in 1900s, 1905, 1910, 1930s, 1940, 1950s, 1960s, 1970, 2014 and 2015. GPO Murree building looks very attractive during snow 🌨 fall.

English inscriptions on commemorative boards provides this historical information :


1- 'General Post Office Murree

This building was conserved, reconstructes and renovated as per its original design dated1867: modifications upto 1970 have also been included. Inaugurated on 29th December 2015 by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Prime Minister Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Client: Pakistan Post
Executive Agency : The Urban Unit
Conservation Architect : Fauzia Qureshi
Contactor : Capital Builders '.

2-' Murree GPO Restoration Process

The restoration of the Murree GPO was a challenging project. Several modifications to the original building had been made over the years and in the absence of proper documentation,, drawing and scope of work had to be revised constantly as new issues became known. The process is explained below:

1- Documentation & drawings

The existing building was documented and archival research was conducted for the design and drawings of the original building.

2- Dismantling
Modern additions and inconsistent elements were dismantled to reveal the original structure.

3- Drawing revisions
Drawings were constantly updated as new features of the building came to light.

4- Conservation & Reconstruction
The original structure was rehabilitated while destroyed portions were reconstructed.

5- Adaptive Re-use
Building functions were expanded to include a cafe and postal museum. Layouts, interior designs and period-appropriate furnishings were also developed. '

3-' Conservation & Restoration of GPO Murree

The General Post Office (GPO) is one of the first public buildings constructed in Murree in 1867 and it stands on a pivotal location at the beginning of the mall road. The GPO building carries with it a legacy that has been vital in informing people of the History and the stories that made Murree. This Building had undergone numerous interventions since it was originally built such that its facade was completely different to the visual icon that was in 1867. The GPO building remained relatively unchanged from the time it was built to around 1930. Between 1923 and 1935, an additional wing was added to the building, retaining the same architecture. However during the 1970s, the building underwent extensive modification that destroyed its original historic character.'



Photographs By Ali Babar


Sources:

1- Commemorative boards

2- Write up by GPO Murree administration

3- Gazetter of Rawalpindi District 1893-94