The bungalow, which has elements of both English Vernacular Gothic style and Indian architecture, once restored will house the long-forgotten but priceless 2000-odd paintings done by students over the years.

According to the heritage committee chief, Sharad Upasani, the committee on Wednesday approved the proposal for converting the bungalow into a museum. “Now the commissioner will have to give the final sanction,” he said.

Recently, as part of the sesquicentennial celebrations of the institute, the Jindal South West (JSW) Foundation was entrusted the task of refurbishing the bungalow—which is a Grade II heritage structure.

To begin with, the untamed garden outside the twin cottages would be landscaped and several sculptures would be nestled there. “A large room will be used as an exhibition gallery for displaying the paintings done by artists from 1850 until contemporary times. We will also set up a small conservation lab for restoring works. Then there will also be an audio visual about the JJ school, amphitheatre on the rear side of the lawn and a students’ display gallery,” said Vikas Dilaware, architect for the project.

Kipling, the Nobel Laureate and author of one of the most widely read novels The Jungle Book, was born here in 1865. At that time his father, Lockwood Kipling, was the professor in the department of architectural sculpture. The original cottage was pulled down some four decades down the line and the existing wood and stone structure was erected in its place. Later it went on to become the official dean's residence until it fell prey to neglect a few years ago.

“As a tribute to the great author, a room or an alcove would be called the Kipling corner and it will have the bust of Kipling along with photographs, a sketch of the garden by Lockward Kipling and an account of the author,” said historian Sharada Dwivedi, who is researching the history of the bungalow for the Foundation. The museum will also house a cafeteria and a library.

A similar proposal to renovate the interiors of the two-storeyed JJ School of Art to be carried out by conservationist Abha Narain Lambah, was also discussed by the heritage committee on Wednesday. The proposal, however, has been kept on hold for want of some more documents.