Facade typology studies of Ottoman government houses in the tanzimat period (1839-1909): The case of Kastamonu province

In the 19th century, various reforms were made in the Ottoman Empire to increase the power and visibility of the state and to take steps towards becoming a modern state by following the modern states. The visibility of the state from the provinces to the center was provided through Government Houses. Government Houses built during the Tanzimat Period (1839-1909) is the subject of this thesis. The empire style also took its place on the facades of 19th Century Ottoman public buildings. In particular, the Government Houses used the facade design to represent the state, similar to the purpose of the emergence of the empire style. The aim of this study is to examine the Kastamonu Government Houses of the Tanzimat Period, to find traces of state representation on the facades and to investigate the effects of the empire style. Within the scope of the thesis, 8 Government Houses were examined. In order to explain the façade effects of the empire style, the architectural principles were selected and the entrance, projection, windows, and ornaments were evaluated based on these principles. It was determined that the facades of the Government Houses evaluated with the method determined within the scope of the thesis had the characteristics of the empire style and that the dominant facades were window and ornament rhythm, pediment emphasis, central axis structure, symmetrical settlement and material unity in the architectural elements. It can be said that these emphasises made the government buildings visible and provided the representation of the state.