Transformation of dwellings in Kayseri between 1930 and 1970

Starting with the proclamation of the Republic, residential buildings particularly in the center comprised the second stage of the modernization project, which started with the establishment of transport networks and industrialization work on an urban scale and continued with public buildings. The speed and direction of the changes on public buildings and residents emanating from these modernization policies were not been simultaneous. This change was realized within the framework of the city?s own values because it has a unique dwelling culture which can still be seen in the cities of Anatolia.In this dissertation, the change in the dwelling culture of Kayseri between 1930 and 1970 is analyzed within the context of ?locality? dealing with the cultural and social developments of the period in question. It is based on the opinion that it is not possible to analyze the changes in Kayseri houses without taking the change in urban scale, developments in the socio-cultural sphere, technological developments and everyday practices into consideration.In this study, the research method is designed according to the hypothesis that the question of the speed and a direction of the modernization can only be regarded as meaningful if considered within a ?multi-dimensional network of relationships related to the dwelling culture.? In this sense, frequently used qualitative research methods in architectural history such as a literature review, and oral history were used; the role of this change in the transformation of ?dwelling culture? - therefore of the place - was analyzed by aligning ?subjective? and ?objective? knowledge.In particular, individuals endowed with detailed information about the era were approached using the oral history method and the subjective information unique to this method was gathered. In this framework, we aimed to compile a narrative of the dwelling culture of Kayseri by considering traditional values and by adopting a different perspective on ?Housing modernization in Turkey? which goes beyond the tectonic and planimetric narratives focusing solely on the formal features of the houses. In order to understand the change in the built environment, an urban scale analysis was performed by considering the formation of the new road routes, mapping works, development plans, railway stations and reinforcements, as well as the housing areas of the Kayseri Sümerbank Cloth Factory and the Railway Station Housing complex starting with the 1882 map of the city and continuing to the 1970s. Afterwards, the developmental process in Kayseri?s dwelling culture was analyzed beginning with traditional housing types and progressing to the new types, which were formed in the modernization period. The dwelling culture and transformation of the interior were identified considering dwelling practices and the transformation of spatial elements.It was found that, between 1930 and 1970, hybridization took place with regard to traditional houses in Kayseri and that the prototypes of modern day house typology (lodging and cooperative houses, social housing and apartment) emerged. Modernity in Kayseri between 1930 and 1970 was analyzed in terms of the ?new and modern? entities that merged with the city within the framework of ?old against new?. It is possible to see this in road routes as well as in the furnishings of the houses. While Istasyon Avenue (1928) as a linear line is regarded as an expression of modernization compared to traditional organic street lines, the transformation from fixed furnishings to mobile ones is regarded as a form of modernization of the interior. In addition, while the house hybridized with new structures, layers and rooms formed the pre-modern housing type, the emergence of modern housing took place with the building of apartments in the city center. However, traditional values and customs continued in apartment culture. While the symbolic and semantic utterances attributed to Kayseri by the Republic express a radical break from traditional life, its reflection in interiors is not that of a fully typical model of a Westernized dwelling house.In addition, another important outcome of this study is that the analysis of modernity should be made considering diverse temporalities and dimensions due to the fact that each geographic region has its own parameters of modernity. In this context, it is hoped that the method developed and the authentic materials used in this study will provide an important source for further studies.Keywords: Kayseri, house, dwelling, modernism, locality, interior, oral history