Category: Infrastructure / Educational
Type: Central / Library
Location: Süleymaniye, Prof. Dr. Cavit Orhan Tütengil St. Fatih
Date: 1910-1912
Designer: Unknown
Period: Ottoman Empire
Photos: İBB İstanbul Turizm Platformu (turizmplatformu.istanbul), Kültür Varlıkları Daire Başkanlığı (İBB Miras)
The Trolleybus Building, situated in the heart of the Fatih district between Beyazıt and Süleymaniye, was originally constructed between 1910 and 1912 to serve as a power station for Istanbul’s nascent electric tramway system. Commissioned by the Dersaadet Tramway Company and designed by the technical bureau of the Belgian-based SOFINA consortium, the structure is a significant representative of early 20th-century industrial architecture. Its design emphasizes functionalism through high-vaulted ceilings, expansive arched windows, and robust brick masonry, all of which were necessitated by the large-scale machinery and dynamos it once housed. After transitioning to support trolleybus operations in the 1960s and eventually falling into vacancy following the decommissioning of the network in 1984, the building underwent a comprehensive restoration by İBB Miras. Reopened in 2022 as the Trolleybus Library, it now stands as a successful example of adaptive reuse, transforming a vital piece of urban infrastructure into a contemporary academic space while carefully preserving its distinctive industrial character and historical layers.
