Societa' Operaia Italiana di İstanbul restoration project

Societá Operaia di Istanbul building is located in Istanbul, Beyoğlu county, Asmalımescit district, between Deva and Perukâr impasses on the 303th land, 40th parcel. In 1884, suggestions were requested from Vallaury, Bottarlini and Breschi. Bottarlini's proposal was accepted and the construction started. The main hall was decided to be a square and designed by Vallaury. The building was designed as brick walled masonry building, had a cellar and kitchen in the basement, billard and reading room on the ground floor, a lighted theater on the 1st floor and guard's rooms on the penthouse. The groundbreaking ceremony was on the 2nd of November 1884. As known, the builfding was opened on the 3rd of November 1885 and all the details about the contruction is inclueded on the meeting notes during this 1 year period. Window and door typology and materials, floor covering details, ornaments, stucco and embellishments, lightings and construction details, costs details were included in these meeting notes. In 1907, notes emphasize that the association was insufficient for the Itailians who were thousands. They start looking for a new building and a land but they decide to enlarge and rearrange the current building due to financial concerns and land finding difficulty between June 1909 – January 1910. A new floor has been added to the building with the responsibilty of Giulio Mongeri and Edoardo de Nari. Lighted gallery was cancelled and instead of terrace, building was enlarged by adding a roof. The repairment in 1910 quite looks like the present situation of the building. There are 5 spaces in the basement used as storage. Due to the restaurant operation, there are some spaces that were added on the ground floor. Main enterance is a door which was originally a window facing Deva impasse. The additional kitchen, on the northwest of the main hall which was used as restaurant, was built behind the main enterance at the Deva impasse. Accounting section and the enterance hall from the Perıkar impasse and toilets harms the original form of the building. 1st floor of the building consists of a kitchen and a library that opens to the main hall, which is being used as a museum, and an office and enterance hall. There are some tiny revisions in the kitchen but the plan is kept mostly as it was during 1910. There is an arched stage on the theater floor, that is being used as an exhibition hall. There is a balcony with wooden railing on the mezzanine that faces the stage. There is also a toilet which harms the originality of the space with a door, ceramics and vitrifieds. There are 5 rooms on the penthouse where the office and archive spaces are. One of these rooms is unreachable. The main problem of the building is the additional spaces due to the change of funtions. There are problems like corrosion on the iron beams on the basement because of the humidity.