Our first visit to Ballard Estate was as a college student, who had lost her way in an attempt to find the Mint. We had strayed into unfamiliar terrain but the wide roads, leafy sidewalks and impressive architectural identity took our breath away. It was a far cry from anything that we had come across in the rest of SoBo.

We were transfixed by the Port Trust War Memorial, lost ourselves in the decadent interiors of Britannia & Co and ended up spending a good two hours there. Years later, armed with information, we made several trips to this business district that was designed by George Wittet, who had in his portfolio, The Gateway of India and Prince of Wales Museum (now CSMVS). However, what struck us was that this well-planned neighbourhood remained under-utilised beyond it being a hub for the port offices, commerce and trade, especially after office hours and on weekends.