Category: Cultural
Type: Museum
Location: Büyükdere, Piyasa Ave. Sarıyer
Date: 19th Century / 1950
Designer: Andon Kazazyan / Sedad Hakkı Eldem (restoration)
Period: Ottoman Empire
Photos: Sadberk Hanım Museum (sadberkhanimmuzesi.org.tr)
The Sadberk Hanım Museum, situated in the Büyükdere neighborhood of Istanbul’s Sarıyer district, is primarily housed within the historic Azaryan Mansion, a distinguished example of late 19th-century timber waterfront architecture. Designed by architect Andon Kazazyan, the main structure is famously known as the Vidalı Yalı because its wooden components were prefabricated in Europe and assembled on-site using a specialized screw system. After being purchased by the Koç family in 1950, the building was transformed into Turkey’s first private museum through a meticulous restoration led by the prominent architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem between 1978 and 1980. This architectural ensemble was later expanded in 1988 with the opening of the Sevgi Gönül Building, an adjacent masonry structure restored by İbrahim Yalçın to house archaeological artifacts, successfully merging the domestic intimacy of an Ottoman-era summer residence with the functional requirements of a contemporary cultural institution.
