Heritage
The custodians, the craftsmen and the century that binds us all.
Colonial Properties (Pvt) Ltd was founded on a simple conviction: that the colonial architecture of Sri Lanka is not a relic to be mourned, but a legacy to be reopened. As project owner, the company gathers buildings of national significance and returns them to living use — with Melwaththa Property Developers (Pvt) Ltd as project developer.
Our guiding promise, set down in the project brief, is to modify, preserve, and present these buildings to future generations, in service of the tourism industry of Sri Lanka. Two billion rupees, two years, and a great many careful hands are at work on that promise.
Three Words, Kept
Modify
To adapt old bones to new life — plumbing, light, and comfort, woven invisibly through history.
Preserve
To keep the arches, the timber, the lime-wash and the memory of every craftsman who came before.
Present
To give these houses back to the people — the traveller, the scholar, the child yet unborn.
The Old Quarter
of the Fort
In Colombo Fort, our attention has fallen first upon No. 11, Sir Baron Jayathilake Mawatha — the very birthplace of the island's postal telegraph. Standing since 1850, it has been gazetted a national treasure by the Archaeological Department (Gazette No. 1101, 18 September 1999). The board below stands today at the site, marking the commencement of its redevelopment.
We do not build; we remember — and in remembering, we build again.