Dear Friends,

You are probably aware of the civic unrest and protests in Turkey. However you might not know that everything began with a public opposition against the deconstruction of a Modern Monument – Gezi Park (or Park No 2) in Taksim which was designed and implemented according to Henri Prost’s Plan for Istanbul in 1940. Thus a Modern Monument became the symbol of democracy in Turkey as of last week.

A disused military barrack building in the same location was removed for this park. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality as well as the central government would like to reconstruct this building as multi-functional center including a shopping mall, five-star hotel and residence – functions surprisingly defined as “socio-cultural” by our Prime Minister Mr. Erdoğan. The Regional Commission  on Conservation of Cultural Property in charge of the Taksim – Beyoğlu area had formerly ratified a reconstruction project for this building last year. This reconstruction project was also surprisingly designed by the Director of Istanbul World Heritage Sites, architect Halil Onur. However, this is not a building easy to reconstruct as very little is known of it; there are only a handful of photographs. It is also considered to be of little art and architecture historical significance by experts and is only remembered with its Orientalist gateway. Demolished in 1939, Topçu (Artillery) Barracks is not a part of public and urban memory anymore; the people who are old enough to remember this building are over 80 today.

Whereas Gezi Park, one of the public symbols of Modern Istanbul and the secular Turkish Republic is a civic landmark. It has once again become a symbol for democracy, civic resistance and national solidarity in Turkey within the last week.

DOCOCMOMO_Turkey is calling on all members and chapters of DOCOMOMO International to support their campaign for the preservation of this Modern Monument.

Sincerely,

DOCOMOMO Turkey

 

SIGN AND SUPPORT
PRESERVE TAKSIM GEZI PARK
AS A MODERN CIVIC LANDMARK AND MONUMENT

DOCOMOMO Turkey (1) is currently engaged in an effort to preserve the Gezi Park (Park No 2) in Taksim, Istanbul, designed and implemented according to Henri Prost’s Plan for Istanbul in 1940. It is threatened with destruction for the reconstruction a former military barrack building, which occupied the same location but was removed for the park as a result of disuse. Demolished in 1939, Topçu (Artillery) Barracks is not a part of public and urban memory anymore; the people who are old enough to remember this building are over 80 today. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality as well as the central government would like to reconstruct the barracks as a multi-functional center including a shopping mall, five-star hotel and residence – functions surprisingly defined as “socio-cultural” by our Prime Minister Mr. Erdoğan. The Regional Commission on Conservation of Cultural Property in charge of the Taksim – Beyoğlu area had formerly ratified a reconstruction project for this building last year. This reconstruction project was also surprisingly designed by the Director of Istanbul World Heritage Sites, architect Halil Onur. However, this is not a building easy to reconstruct as very little is known of it; there are only a handful of photographs. It is also considered to be of little art and architecture historical significance by experts and is only remembered with its Orientalist gateway.

DOCOMOMO Turkey National Working Party has been an observer and active intervener in the process toward the reorganization of Taksim Square and Gezi Park with other concerned non-governmental and proffessional organizations in Turkey. As it was explained in the applications to the Regional Commission on Conservation of Cultural Property in charge of the Taksim – Beyoğlu area, Gezi Park needs to be evaluated as a cultural and public urban landscape whose designer is known. It is a cultural property in its own right according to international principles of architectural preservation because it has acquired the status of a historic document and a prominent landmark in urban memory. The project proposed for the same area does not consider the cultural and historic heritage values of the park. The approach of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality toward this Modern monument disregards the views of the urban population who are the owners and wielders of urban memory and the objections and ideas proposed by the specialists in the field of architectural and urban history and preservation.

The violent retribution of the police forces against the peaceful protesters camping in the park against the intervention of the municipality began with the removal of the trees along the park’s edge on the early morning hours of May 28. DOCOMOMO Turkey is concerned about these interventions which endanger the safety of the urban population and threatens the integrity of this Modern cultural landscape. We condemn these interventions and invite the concerned authorities to immediately began acting according to democratic processes and international architectural preservation, urban planning and administration principles.

In this attempt, DOCOMOMO Turkey is seeking the support of all professional circles and the concerned public. We call on the member states and chapters of DOCOMOMO International to support us with letters. Please send your letters in digital format to docomomo_turkey@yahoo.com.

We call on members of DOCOMOMO International and its National Working Parties as well as any concerned individual to sign and sign and support our petition on Change.org at the following link:

The support letters and the signatures will be presented to the Turkish Ministry of Culture, the High Comission and the Istanbul No 2 Regional Commission on the Conservation of Cultural Property together with a renewed appeal for the park’s registration on the national inventories and its preservation in the long run.

We sincerely thank you for your support.

Docomomo_Turkey
ITU
 Faculty of Architecture 
Taşkışla, Taksim
 34437, Istanbul
phones: +90-212 293 13 00 / 22 87, +90-212 293 13 00 / 23 83
; fax: +90-212 251 48 95

docomomo_turkey@yahoo.com