ITO ADDITIONAL BUILDING – THE MUSEUM

Construction

Towards the mid-19th century, the Ottoman administration initiated studies for the construction of new docks on both sides of the Golden Horn for a number of political reasons as well as Istanbul’s increasing maritime transportation and maritime transportation due to the development in maritime technologies. As a result of these efforts, in 1879, Marius Michel (Michel Pasha) was granted the concession to build customs buildings, warehouses and completely redesigned docks with customs buildings and warehouses in the area to be gained by filling the sea between Sirkeci-Unkapanı and Azapkapı-Tophane.

Within the scope of the concession obtained by Michel Pasha, a French sailor and architect, a dock building and several warehouses were built on the shores of Sirkeci, and a new 85-year concession agreement was signed with Michel Pasha during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. Due to the dock construction carried out by the Société Anonyme Ottomane des Quais, Docks et Entrepots de Constantinople (Dersaadet Docks, Docks and Warehouses Joint Stock Company Osmaniye), some of the buildings built in the 1870s are demolished and replaced with new buildings. One of the buildings constructed in the 1870s is the Internal and Foreign Goods Customs Building adjacent to the Hidayet Mosque. 

The construction of the 12 m wide street extending from the Eminönü dock to Sirkeci, which was planned to be built within the scope of the second concession dated 1890 obtained by Michel Pasha, could only be realized after Sultan Mehmed Reşad’s accession to the throne due to the problems encountered in expropriation and other administrative procedures, and therefore the newly opened road was named Reşadiye Street. During the opening of Reşadiye Street, nearly half of the Internal and Foreign Goods Customs Building adjacent to the Hidayet Mosque, built in the 1870s, was demolished and this facade facing the sea was closed with a massive wall.  

In the process from this date to the present day, the building has undergone changes due to the way it has been used from time to time and has taken its final shape today.Until today, it has been used as an administration building by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO).

Project Description

Dating back to the 1870s, this important port building in Eminönü Square is a candidate to become one of the most important cultural buildings of the region with its bookstore, trade museum, exhibition floors and parliament hall on the ground floor overlooking the historical square. The building has been redesigned to meet today’s contemporary needs while preserving its original texture. While the original three facades of the building, which has an important place in the memory of the city, were transformed into its original form by removing the precast coatings on them, the sea facade, which was built after the demolitions made during the opening of Reşadiye Street, was reinterpreted. 

This new façade opening to the Bosphorus is designed to be completely transparent, where the sea enters the building while the building overflows into the sea and the street, where the square, the Bosphorus, Galata can be experienced from different angles and elevations from within the building and offer a completely different experience to its users. Due to the new use of the building, the exhibition floors, assembly hall, offices, main staircase, service elevators, fire escapes and technical shafts belonging to the museum were relocated inside the building.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Client                 : Istanbul Chamber of Commerce

Building Area    : 5.750 m²

Location            : İstanbul, Fatih, Hobyar District                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Works have been done within the scope of the project:

  • Preparation of Survey, Restitution, Restoration, Reconstruction Projects.
  • Preparation of Engineering Projects.
  • Approval of Projects and Obtaining Legal Permits for Institutions.
  • Preparation of Interior Architecture Projects.
  • Taking Responsibility for Technical Implementation.
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