Category: Public
Type: Hotel
Location: Büyükada
Date: 1908
Designer: Karakasis, Carlo Amancich
Period: Ottoman Empire
Photos: Ahmet Bilal Aslan, Alp Üşenmez, M. Sinan Genim
The Anadolu Club in Buyukada, originally established in 1906 as the Prinkipo Yacht Club, represents a unique architectural synthesis reflecting Turkey’s transition from the late Ottoman era to the modern Republic. Its historical core is the iconic wooden structure built in 1908, designed by architects Karakasis and Amancich, which stands as a prime example of the eclectic wooden mansions characteristic of the Princes’ Islands. In 1937, the club was reorganized under the instructions of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to serve as a prestigious social center for the new Republic’s elite. The complex gained further architectural significance between 1951 and 1957 with the addition of a modern guest block designed by Turgut Cansever and Abdurrahman Hanci. This extension is celebrated as a pioneer of rationalist modernism in Turkey, drawing inspiration from Le Corbusier’s design principles and eventually earning a prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Together, these buildings offer a chronological narrative of Istanbul’s architectural evolution, blending nineteenth-century romanticism with the rigorous functionalism of the mid-twentieth century.
