The restoration of the Union and Progress Party Headquarters Red Mansion (Kızıl Konak) (1917-1918)

This study describes the restoration of the Red Mansion (Münif Pasha Mansion, Pink Mansion), once located in Cağaloğlu, Istanbul, which is no longer standing today, while it was under the auspices of the Party of Union and Progress between 1917 and 1918. The mansion, where the last period of the Ottoman Empire was actually managed, has an important place in Turkish history. The sources of the study were general reference works on the Party of Union and Progress and the documents in the fund of the Ministry of Finance Emlak-i Emriyye Müdüriyeti in the Ottoman Archives of the Presidency of State Archives. All of these documents are listed in 533 images, all of which have been analyzed and translated for this study. The adventure of the mansion, which started with Münif Pasha, one of the important statesmen who marked the last period of the Ottoman Empire, ended with the relocation of Cumhuriyet Newspaper to a new building in 1974. The Red Mansion was built as a building that left its mark on its period. The mansion, which is estimated to have survived for approximately 110 to 120 years, has closely witnessed very important decisions and historical events. After the large-scale restoration works carried out in 1917-1918, it fell into disrepair and could not withstand the fatigue of the years. The Red Mansion, which hosted important individuals and institutions such as Münif Pasha, the Party of Union and Progress, and Cumhuriyet Newspaper, was intended to be restored, but when the permits were not issued on time, the mansion could not withstand more and was demolished in 2019. Today, there is a parking lot where the mansion is located. The study consists of an introduction, three main chapters and a conclusion. In the introduction, the events that led to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire are mentioned. In the first chapter, the period starting from the establishment of the Party of Union and Progress until its dissolution is emphasized and the Anatolian organization of the Party is explained in this chapter. In the second part, the period from the construction to the demolition of the Red Mansion, the headquarters of the Party of Union and Progress, is examined. In the third part of the study, the restoration documents of the mansion were transcribed and evaluated. In the conclusion, the data obtained from the study and the conclusions reached are explained.