Architecture - Istanbul - page 367

Ottoman Revivalism & Modernism
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, architects created a blend of European ar-
chitecture alongside Turkish baroque, with some concessions to classic Ottoman style.
This style has been dubbed 'Ottoman Revivalism' or First National Architecture. Its
main proponents were architects Vedat Tek (1873-1942) and Kemalettin Bey
(1870-1927). Tek is best known for his Central Post Office ( CLICK HERE ) in Sirkeci
(1909) and Haydarpaşa İskelesi (ferry dock, 1915-17). Kemalettin Bey's Bebek
Mosque ( CLICK HERE ; 1913) and Fourth Vakıf Han (1912-26), a bank building in
Eminönü that now houses the Legacy Ottoman Hotel, are his best-known works.
During the same period, art nouveau hit the city. Raimondo D'Aronco, an Italian architect,
designed a number of elegant buildings, including the gorgeous but sadly dilapidated Bot-
ter House on İstiklal Caddesi ( CLICK HERE ).
İstanbul Modern ( CLICK HERE )
JORDI CAMÍ/ALAMY ©
When Atatürk proclaimed Ankara the capital of the Republic, İstanbul lost much of its
glamour and investment capital. Modernism was played out on the new canvas of Ankara,
while İstanbul's dalliances went little further than the İstanbul City Hall in Fatih, designed
by Nevzat Erol and built in 1953; the İstanbul Hilton Hotel , designed by SOM and Sedad
Hakkı Eldem and built in 1952; the Atatürk Library in Gümüşsuyu, also by Eldem; and
the much-maligned Atatürk Cultural Centre by Hayati Tabanlıoğlu, built from 1956 to
1957 and currently undergoing a major renovation.