Galata Pekmezian Building
The open flat area around Galata Tower is known today as Galata but from the Goad company's insurance map of 1905 we can see that in the 19th and early 20th century it was formerly known by the French name "place de la tour", effectively a French translation of the current name in Turkish "Galata Kule meydan".
The square and the tower are situated on a natural geological plateau roughly half way up the Galata hillside where the natural bedrock (a type of shale) is often visible just below the surface.
The area around the square has been occupied for hundreds of years at the very least, with the exception of some small sections of the Galata city walls, the buildings we see now mostly date to the period from 1850-1930, with a few later concrete constructions built in the late 1960s or early 1970s.
The oldest apartment building on the square is "Appartement Pekmézian" (Pekmezian apartment) . It sits close to Galata Tower at the start of "Büyük Hendek Sokak". The name Büyük Hendek means "Big Ditch" and refers to the - probably dry - moat which ran along the outside of the Galata city walls. As the road likely follows the route of the moat, that means that Pekmezian Apt, and other buildings on the street, probably sit on the foundations of the old city walls.
By 2000 Pekmezian Apartment, had fallen into disrepair having for years been home to small companies manufacturing light fittings and small electrical goods, with couple of shops and a small restaurant on the ground floor. The building was sold to a new owner who obtained permission to "convert" it into a hotel. The "conversion" process in fact involved the complete destruction of the building with the exception of the front and western facades which were also substantially altered.
Before work started we were able to gain entry to the building to take photographs and video of the original features and to alert the local media.
The original version of this web site was created in order to document the loss of this historic building. first version of this website began with this event !
See : archive.org for some of the original material.
As with most old apartment buildings in Istanbul Pekmezian Apartment was named after the family responsible for its construction.
Pekmezian is a fairly common Armenian surname meaning "son of a pekmez maker" - pekmez being a type of fruit syrup, usually made from grapes.
When the building was constructed, probably in the late 1870s or early 1880s, it is unlikely that the family was still involved in syrup making. The building is believed to have been designed by family member Avedis Pekmezian, a prominent architect at the time.
There was also a business run by "The Brothers Pekmezian" further down the hill in Galata, operating in 1902, although it is unclear if this was the same family or branch of the family.
When it was constructed Pekmezian Apartment must have been one of the most luxurious buildings in the area.
Six floors high, each floor boasted one large single apartment. A marble staircase with wrought iron railings and a wooden banister passed the main door of each flat, with a separate service staircase giving servants access to the kitchens, without passing through the main doors.
The building probably originally contained only five flats with the top floor consisting of servants' rooms and a terrace for drying washing. From the Goad map we can see that in 1905 the building also boasted a café and a cabinet maker's shop as well as cellar below for storing fire wood, the only form of heating at the time.
The rooms in each flat were lavishly decorated with wall and ceiling frescoes.
The ceiling frescos in the main salon included oval "medallions" of around 50cm wide, each containing a different painting of a view of old Istanbul.
The kitchens also contained an unusual feature - a bed platform for the servant, located above the doorway, taking advantage of the high ceiling, and accessed by a narrow step ladder. These appear to have been a later addition.
As we can see from the photographs we took shortly before demolition, that the top floor terrace had been roofed over, it seems likely that the original servants rooms on the top floor were at some point together with the terrace converted into a new flat or flats - a common practice after property prices and the cost of servants rose
Both the medallions and the bed platforms are unusual features that we have not seen in other buildings in Istanbul.
Also noteworthy was the vaulted brick arched ceiling and brick water cistern in the building's basement. As mains water supply was only brought to Galata in the early 20th century it is likely that in addition to the cistern, the building also had its own well - as can still be seen in many other buildings in the same area.
When the building was "restored" all of the interior of the building including the basement, was destroyed and replaced with a concrete structure with a different floor plan. Some new fake "frescoes" were added to the walls and ceilings in some of the rooms to make them appear "original".
A sad end to a unique building.
A View of Galata Tower probably taken between 1880-90...Pekmézian Apt is to the right of the tower, the only significant building facing the square at this time
STATE BEFORE 2000 DESTRUCTION :
Views of Pekmezian
Apt taken from Galata
Tower in 2000, shortly
before its destruction.
Views of the front
façade facing the square inside
One of the original
wrought iron balcony rails, removed and replaced during restoration. The Rear façade of the building.
Interior views of the rooms showing some of the frescoes and the
elaborate plaster mouldings
The cistern in the
basement - notice the huge stone blocks which may have come from the old Galata
walls on top of which the building sits.
Destruction and
rebuilding :
The hotel in 2002...
The square and the tower are situated on a natural geological plateau roughly half way up the Galata hillside where the natural bedrock (a type of shale) is often visible just below the surface.
The area around the square has been occupied for hundreds of years at the very least, with the exception of some small sections of the Galata city walls, the buildings we see now mostly date to the period from 1850-1930, with a few later concrete constructions built in the late 1960s or early 1970s.
The oldest apartment building on the square is "Appartement Pekmézian" (Pekmezian apartment) . It sits close to Galata Tower at the start of "Büyük Hendek Sokak". The name Büyük Hendek means "Big Ditch" and refers to the - probably dry - moat which ran along the outside of the Galata city walls. As the road likely follows the route of the moat, that means that Pekmezian Apt, and other buildings on the street, probably sit on the foundations of the old city walls.
By 2000 Pekmezian Apartment, had fallen into disrepair having for years been home to small companies manufacturing light fittings and small electrical goods, with couple of shops and a small restaurant on the ground floor. The building was sold to a new owner who obtained permission to "convert" it into a hotel. The "conversion" process in fact involved the complete destruction of the building with the exception of the front and western facades which were also substantially altered.
Before work started we were able to gain entry to the building to take photographs and video of the original features and to alert the local media.
The original version of this web site was created in order to document the loss of this historic building. first version of this website began with this event !
See : archive.org for some of the original material.
As with most old apartment buildings in Istanbul Pekmezian Apartment was named after the family responsible for its construction.Pekmezian is a fairly common Armenian surname meaning "son of a pekmez maker" - pekmez being a type of fruit syrup, usually made from grapes.
When the building was constructed, probably in the late 1870s or early 1880s, it is unlikely that the family was still involved in syrup making. The building is believed to have been designed by family member Avedis Pekmezian, a prominent architect at the time.
There was also a business run by "The Brothers Pekmezian" further down the hill in Galata, operating in 1902, although it is unclear if this was the same family or branch of the family.
When it was constructed Pekmezian Apartment must have been one of the most luxurious buildings in the area.
Six floors high, each floor boasted one large single apartment. A marble staircase with wrought iron railings and a wooden banister passed the main door of each flat, with a separate service staircase giving servants access to the kitchens, without passing through the main doors.
The building probably originally contained only five flats with the top floor consisting of servants' rooms and a terrace for drying washing. From the Goad map we can see that in 1905 the building also boasted a café and a cabinet maker's shop as well as cellar below for storing fire wood, the only form of heating at the time.
The rooms in each flat were lavishly decorated with wall and ceiling frescoes.
The ceiling frescos in the main salon included oval "medallions" of around 50cm wide, each containing a different painting of a view of old Istanbul.
The kitchens also contained an unusual feature - a bed platform for the servant, located above the doorway, taking advantage of the high ceiling, and accessed by a narrow step ladder. These appear to have been a later addition.
As we can see from the photographs we took shortly before demolition, that the top floor terrace had been roofed over, it seems likely that the original servants rooms on the top floor were at some point together with the terrace converted into a new flat or flats - a common practice after property prices and the cost of servants rose
Both the medallions and the bed platforms are unusual features that we have not seen in other buildings in Istanbul.
Also noteworthy was the vaulted brick arched ceiling and brick water cistern in the building's basement. As mains water supply was only brought to Galata in the early 20th century it is likely that in addition to the cistern, the building also had its own well - as can still be seen in many other buildings in the same area.
When the building was "restored" all of the interior of the building including the basement, was destroyed and replaced with a concrete structure with a different floor plan. Some new fake "frescoes" were added to the walls and ceilings in some of the rooms to make them appear "original".
A sad end to a unique building.
A View of Galata Tower probably taken between 1880-90...Pekmézian Apt is to the right of the tower, the only significant building facing the square at this time
STATE BEFORE 2000 DESTRUCTION :
Views of the front
façade facing the square inside
One of the original
wrought iron balcony rails, removed and replaced during restoration. The Rear façade of the building.
Interior views of the rooms showing some of the frescoes and the
elaborate plaster mouldings
The floor of one of the rooms after the floorboards have been
stripped, showing the steel I beam French vaulting, a construction system which
became widespread after 1870 when steel I beams became commercially available.
Steel I beams with brick vaulting between prevented a fire on one floor from
spreading quickly up through a building.
The cistern in the
basement - notice the huge stone blocks which may have come from the old Galata
walls on top of which the building sits. 
The remains of a fire insurance plaque, still visible above the main
entrance of the building. It was removed and destroyed during
"restoration".
It appears to be for the Imperial Insurance company, London.
In the days before municipal fire services, private insurance companies employed their own firemen and horse drawn, manually operated fire engines to tackle fires. Building owners took out insurance policies with individual companies displaying the plaques on the front of their buildings to ensure that in the event of a fire these private fire services would know which building to save.
It appears to be for the Imperial Insurance company, London.
In the days before municipal fire services, private insurance companies employed their own firemen and horse drawn, manually operated fire engines to tackle fires. Building owners took out insurance policies with individual companies displaying the plaques on the front of their buildings to ensure that in the event of a fire these private fire services would know which building to save.
