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Tepebaşı is a neighborhood in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. There’s some interesting architecture in the area, mostly along Meşrutiyet Street.
Introduction to Tepebaşı
Tepebaşı runs west of Istiklal Street between Meşrutiyet and Refik Saydam Streets. As far as landmarks, everything I list in this post sits along Meşrutiyet Street. I’ll start my way at the north end of Tepebaşı and work my way south to Şişhane.
British Consulate
First is the massive British Consulate. It was built in 1845 by English architect Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860). The huge compound takes up nearly an entire city block between Meşrutiyet and Refik Saydam Streets.
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 apse of St. Helena’s Chapel, which is on the grounds of the consulate, makes up the back wall of a bar on Meşrutiyet Street. The chapel was founded in 1582 and the current building dates back to the 19th century.
Baudouy Building
On the next 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 October 2023). It’s open daily except Sundays. (Note: I was finally able to see an exhibition there in October 2023. I’ll update with more info when I have a chance.)
TRT Studios
The large modern building sitting on the west side of Meşrutiyet Street houses the TRT Studios (TRT Studyoları), which belongs to TRT (Turkish Radio and Television). It’s the national public broadcaster of Turkey and was founded in 1964.
Grand Hotel de Londres
Back 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. It has wonderful 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. This 23-story glass office building was designed by architects Kaya Tecimen and Ali Taner. It faces both Meşrutiyet and Istiklal Streets.
Pera Museum
Next to Odakule is the Pera Museum (Pera Müzesi), which is one of the best in the city. This excellent private art museum is housed in the former Bristol Hotel. It was designed by Ottoman Greek architect Achille Manoussos and built in 1893. The hotel operated until the 1970s and was renovated between 2003 and 2005 by Turkish architect Sinan Genim to house the museum.
The Pera Museum was founded by the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation and opened to the public on June 8, 2005. It hosts three main permanent collections as well as regular temporary exhibitions. The permanent collections are Anatolian Weights and Measures, Orientalist Paintings, and Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics.
Visiting the Pera Museum
The Pera Museum is open daily except Mondays. Adult admission is 80₺ (as of September 2023) and free every Friday evening from 6pm to 10pm. A complementary audioguide is available to all visitors. If you’re looking for a snack or drink, visit the Pera Café on the ground floor.
Temporary Exhibitions at the Pera Museum
Visits begin with an elevator ride up to the 5th floor where temporary exhibitions are on display. During my visit, I was able to see the 4th Istanbul Design Biennial. The exhibit extended to the 4th floor and included interactive displays.
After I made my way down to the 3rd floor, I saw another temporary exhibition, School Square Galatasaray.
Orientalist Paintings Collection
On the 2nd floor are selected paintings from the Orientalist Paintings Collection, which were created by European and Ottoman artists. The most famous is The Tortoise Trainer, painted in 1906 by Osman Hamdi Bey (1842-1910), the founder of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. There’s also a modern art installation in the gallery.
Several beautiful landscapes of Constantinople and portraits also hang on the walls of the gallery. They’re part of the Intersecting Worlds exhibition, which includes portraits of ambassadors and art patronage from the 17th to 19th centuries.
My favorite part of the exhibition was in the next room. It includes a series of paintings depicting the audience ceremonies of European ambassadors visiting Topkapi Palace in the early 18th century. They were painted by Flemish-French artist Jean-Baptiste van Mour around 1725.
Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection
Down on the 1st floor are selected items from the Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection. The collection contains over 800 items mostly dating between the 18th and 20th centuries. The exhibition, Coffee Break, explored the importance of Kütahya ceramics in the evolution of coffee culture.
The first coffeehouses opened in Istanbul in the middle of the 16th century. They quickly became popular, and evolved into important meeting places where social, economic, and political debates were held. Kütahya ceramics played a major role in the development of rituals and ceremonies of drinking coffee.
Anatolian Weights and Measures Collection
Finally, in another gallery on the 1st floor is the Anatolian Weights and Measures Collection. It displays a only a handful of about 10,000 items, incorporating a couple interesting audio-visual items.
The collection dates back to prehistory and covers the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern civilizations that lived in Anatolia. It includes scales, weights, and other measuring instruments.
The items were used for measuring length, weight, and volume as well as land. They were used in fields such as architecture, jewelry making, pharmacy, shipping, and commerce.
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 are both unknown, but it was likely built near 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
Across the street from the Marmara Pera is the Pera Palace Hotel (Pera Palas Oteli). This luxury hotel is definitely worth popping in to see because you can really feel history come alive. There’s also a museum dedicated to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938) in the room he frequently used.
History of the Pera Palace Hotel
The Pera Palace Hotel was built in 1892 by Ottoman French architect Alexander Vallaury (1850-1921) to host passengers of the Orient Express. The opening ball was held in 1895, and the hotel’s first owners were the Ottoman Armenian Esayan family.
The hotel was the first building in Turkey with electricity, other than the Ottoman palaces. It also had the country’s first electric elevator and was the only hotel in Istanbul to offer hot running water at the time.
A sedan chair (tahtırevan) used to carry passengers from Sirkeci Station to the Pera Palace Hotel is on display near the Patisserie de Pera.
Kubbeli Lounge at the Pera Palace Hotel
The Kubbeli Lounge, just behind reception, is a stunning throwback to Ottoman luxury in the late 19th century. It’s topped by a high ceiling with six domes that gently let in soft light.
English afternoon tea is served daily from 3pm to 6pm and is open to non-guests. An assortment of sandwiches, cakes, and scones are available, accompanied by gentle piano music. Reservations are recommended, and the dress code is smart casual.
Orient Bar at the Pera Palace Hotel
The Orient Bar is attached to the lounge. Stepping into the bar, you can imagine some of the conversations that have taken place there. Ernest Hemingway, Greta Garbo, and Agatha Christie as well as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, have all gathered at the bar as hotel guests.
Patisserie de Pera
The Patisserie de Pera is another lounge, offering coffee and tea, handmade chocolates, French desserts, and Turkish specialties. It closes from June to September, where it offers its menu on the Orient Terrace. The dress code is smart casual.
Lower Floors of the Pera Palace Hotel
Downstairs is the Pera Spa and Agatha Restaurant, which serves Turkish, French, and Italian cuisine. The spa and restaurant are open to non-guests as well.
Atatürk Museum Room at the Pera Palace Hotel
Room 101 contains the Atatürk Museum Room. which was one of the rooms the founder of modern Turkey used on his visits to the hotel. Pera Palace opened the room as a museum on the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1981. It’s open to all visitors daily from 10am to 11am, and again from 3pm to 4pm (as of September 2023). It contains a sitting room and bedroom decorated with personal items used by Atatürk. A bathroom is attached to the bedroom.
Of particular interest were two letters from 1934 posted on the wall of the bedroom. One was written by Atatürk for the friendship of Turkey and Greece. Another was written by Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936) nominating Atatürk for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Historic Items at the Pera Palace Hotel
As a guest, I was able to walk down the stairway and view some of the historic items related to the Pera Palace Hotel. On display is stationary, postcards, announcements to guests, photos, and other items.
In the stairwells, I admired a few portraits hanging on the walls. One was of Prodromos Bodosakis-Athanasiadis (1890-1979), the Ottoman Greek owner of the hotel from 1918 to 1922. He left for Greece after the Greco-Turkish War.
Another portrait was of Misbah Muhayyeş (1888-1954), who owned the hotel from 1927 until his death in 1954. A third portrait was of Hasan Süzer (1923-2005), the owner from 1977 to 2005.
Palazzo Corpi (Former US Embassy)
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 to 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.
Where to Eat in Tepebaşı
I’ll list a few good restaurants in Tepebaşı I’ve eaten at. They all sit along Meşrutiyet Street.
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant. It’s located across from the British Consulate. I visited their old location in Şişhane on a class field trip with my friend Tim and his students. The food turned out to be very good.
Çok Çok Thai
Further down Meşrutiyet Street at Kallavi Street is Çok Çok Thai. They serve good Thai food and it’s considered by many to be the best Thai restaurant in Istanbul.
On my most recent visit, we started off with two beef skewers. I had a spicy beef and vegetable dish while Marisol had a beef and noodle soup. The food was delicious although a bit pricy for Istanbul.
Grand Hotel de Londres Rooftop Terrace
The rooftop terrace of the Grand Hotel de Londres ıs open after 4pm to all visitors and is a popular meeting place for both locals and foreigners living in the city. The views of the Golden Horn are amazing, and it’s a great spot to have a drink with friends. They also serve appetizers and full meals. Prices are reasonable.
