For the first time since it was built around 121 years ago, the Anglo-Gothic style heritage building housing the Mumbai police's headquarters is undergoing a major restoration work, a senior official said. The landmark building, having an old world charm and commonly known as the police commissioner's office, is located at the busy Crawford Market in South Mumbai. Designed by architectural executive, engineer and surveyor John Adams, the iconic building's construction work had commenced on November 17, 1894 and it was inaugurated on December 24, 1896.

Since its inauguration, various police commissioners, including Jehangir Bharucha, Julio Ribeiro, Hasan Gafoor, Satyapal Singh, Sanjeev Dayal and Rakesh Maria, operated from this historical building. The ground-plus-three storeyed building's restoration, entrusted to the Public Works Department's presidency division, is estimated to cost around Rs 15 crore, a senior police official said. The restored building's ground floor will have a police museum, which will showcase exhibits evoking memories of the landmark incidents in the city's crime chronicles. There will be a big library attached to the museum, he said. There will also be a spacious record and storage room along with a lavishly appointed corridor, the official said.