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Tepebaşı is a neighborhood in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It runs west of Istiklal Street between Meşrutiyet Street and Refik Saydam Street. As far as landmarks, there’s some interesting architecture in the area, mostly along Meşrutiyet Street.
British Consulate
Starting from the north section of Tepebaşı and walking south down Meşrutiyet Street is the massive British Consulate. It was built in 1845 by English architect Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860).
On November 20, 2003, Al-Qaeda detonated truck bombs at the consulate and HSBC Bank in Levent. The blasts killed 30 people including Consul General Robert Short (1944-2003), and wounded over 400. Needless to say, the building is now behind thick walls and security is very tight so you’ll have to view it from a distance.
St. Helena’s Chapel
The rear of St. Helena’s Chapel, which is on the grounds of the consulate, makes up the back of a bar on Meşrutiyet Street. The chapel was founded in 1582 and the current building dates back to the 19th century.
Baudouy Building
Facing the corner is the Baudouy Building (Baudouy Binası). It was built in the late 1870s by French investor Joseph Baudouy, who made his fortune managing lighthouses for the Ottoman Empire. The Baudouy family used the building as a residence until the late 19th century. It’s now owned by TÜSİAD (Turkish Industry and Business Association).
Istanbul Research Institute
A couple doors down and across the street is the Istanbul Research Institute (İstanbul Araştırmaları Enstitüsü), which is housed in a late 19th century building by architect Guglielmo Semprini. It was established in 2003 by the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation to promote research about the city from its foundation through the Byzantine, Ottoman, and Republic periods. The library is open to the public and admission to exhibitions is free (as of September 2023). It’s open daily except Sundays.
TRT Studios
The large modern building sitting by itself houses the TRT Studios (TRT Studyoları), which is home to TRT (Turkish Radio and Television). It’s the national public broadcaster of Turkey and was founded in 1964.
Grand Hotel de Londres
Across the street is the Grand Hotel de Londres (Büyük Londra Oteli). It was built in 1891 by Ottoman Greeks L. Adamopoulos and N. Aperghis, and the architect was Guglielmo Semprini.
In its heyday, it competed with Pera Palace Hotel down the street and Tokatlıyan Hotel on Istiklal Street. One of the most famous guests was Ernest Hemingway, who covered the occupation of Constantinople in 1922 for the Toronto Star. After the two world wars, it declined in popularity, but began to come back to life in the 1980s.
The Grand Hotel de Londres has a great rooftop terrace that’s popular with foreigners living in Istanbul. There are great views of the Golden Horn.
Odakule
A couple doors down is Odakule, which was the fourth tallest building in Istanbul upon its completion in 1976. It faces both Meşrutiyet Street and Istiklal Street.
Pera Museum
Next to Odakule is the Pera Museum, which is covered in a separate entry. This excellent private art museum is housed in the former Bristol Hotel. It was which was designed by Ottoman Greek architect Achille Manoussos and built in 1893. The museum is well worth a visit.
Passage Petits-Champs
Just a few steps further is Passage Petits-Champs, also known as the Pinto Fresko Passage (Pinto Fresko Pasajı). This historic building was built by the Pinto family and used to run all the way to Istiklal Street. The upper floors were used as apartments while the lower floors contained shops, restaurants, and cafés. It was later purchased by Ottoman Jewish banker Arslan Fresko. The entire building is now privately owned.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the building housed the Café Zythopoleion (Καφενείον Ζυθοπωλείον). It was one of the most popular cafés during that time. The faded sign in Greek is now covered by an unsightly protective screen.
Casa d’Italia
Casa d’Italia is located at a point where the road starts to curve. The construction date and architect is unknown, but it dates back to at least the beginning of the 19th century. It served as the consulate of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1823, and later as the Italian Embassy after Italian unification. The building was renovated in 1865 by Italian architect Alessandro Bresci, giving it its current appearance. In 1919, the embassy moved to the Venetian Palace in Tomtom. The building has housed the Italian Cultural Center since 1951.
Marmara Pera Hotel
The tall building at the curve is the Marmara Pera Hotel. Although only open to guests, it includes a rooftop terrace with stunning views of the city.
I snuck up to the terrace with my friend Isaac and had about 10 minutes to take photos until security came and kicked us out. We were able to spot Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, and the Galata Tower in the foreground.
To the west, we looked down on Kasımpaşa and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium. To the north, we could spot the skyscrapers in Şişli.
Pera Palace Hotel
As Meşrutiyet Street curves around, across the street from the Marmara Pera is the Pera Palace Hotel, which is covered in a separate entry. This luxury hotel opened in 1892 to host passengers of the Orient Express. It’s definitely worth popping in to take a look at the lobby, bar, and salon. There’s also a museum dedicated to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the room he frequently used.
Palazzo Corpi
On the next block is Palazzo Corpi. It was built between 1873 and 1882 by Italian architect Giacomo Leoni as a residence for Genoese shipowner Ignazio Corpi. The United States government purchased the building in 1907 and converted it into their embassy. From 1937 to 2003, it served as the US Consulate. In 2014, it was renovated and became Soho House, a luxury hotel.
Grand Hotel
Next door is the former Grand Hotel. It was built by a French company in 1883 and assigned to the Ministry of Education in 1928. Half of the building functions as a high school while the other half is used as the Beyoğlu Teachers’ House.
Union Française
Across the street is the Union Française building, which was built for Union Française in 1896 by architect Alexander Vallaury (1850-1921). Istanbul Modern, a contemporary art museum, occupied the building from the middle of 2018 to early 2022. Its original home in the Tophane neighborhood was demolished as part of the Galataport development, and it was replaced by a new building as part of the same development.
Istanbul Chamber of Industry
Attached to the Grand Hotel is another historic building for which I’m still searching for information. It’s owned by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (İstanbul Sanayi Odası).
Cordova Freres Apartments
Finally, across the street is the Cordova Freres Apartments built in 1922. It’s another building I can’t find much information about.
Moving on…
From there, Meşrutiyet Street winds down into Şişhane where a few more impressive historic buildings can be found.
