Just as heritage junkies, yours truly included, were giving each other high-fives at the resurrection of the Royal Opera House and the restoration work underway at Flora Fountain, last week, mid-day broke the news about the closure of a nondescript yet equally crucial symbol of the city’s heritage. It was more of a wake-up call than a dampener.

Crown Bakery in Mahim would have to shutter for good from its iconic space on LJ Road as part of Metro Line III plans, where an underground station is likely to come up in this space. This development is probably a case of skimming the surface. Several other smaller, nameless structures with equally fascinating histories as the 63-year-old bakery will meet with the same fate as new lines get drawn on the city’s blueprint. Clearly, public infrastructure, real estate and sky-high rents are emerging as the most feared terms for all things heritage in the city.