The Palazzo Corpi is a 19th-century
palazzo
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
in
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
. The historical building was built for
Genoese merchant Ignazio Corpi by Italian architect Giacomo Leoni between 1873 and 1882. The property was bought by the United States government in 1907 to serve as the American embassy in Turkey, and from 1937 to 2003 the Palazzo Corpi housed the Consulate General of the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
in Turkey.
The US government leased the building in 2014 to
Soho House
Soho House is a museum run by Birmingham Museums Trust, celebrating Matthew Boulton's life, his partnership with James Watt, his membership of the Lunar Society of Birmingham and his contribution to the Midlands Enlightenment and the Indu ...
, which currently occupies the structure.
The palazzo holds the distinction of being the first diplomatic premises owned by the United States government in Europe,
as well as being one of the first diplomatic buildings to be purchased by the United States.
History
The Palazzo Corpi was built in the late 19th century at the behest of Ignazio Corpi, a wealthy Genoese shipowner who had established his business in the
Beyoğlu
Beyoğlu (, ota, بكاوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...
district of Istanbul. Corpi employed Italian architect Giacomo Leoni to build the palazzo. He also commissioned
Georgio Stampa, an architect who had worked on several national embassies in Istanbul, to assist Leoni. Construction began in 1873 and concluded in 1882. The costs associated with the project were recorded as being 99,000
liras.
Ignazio Corpi himself died in 1882, shortly before the building was completed.
United States ownership
The United States legation to the Ottoman Empire began leasing the Palazzo Corpi from the Corpi family in 1882. The structure was purchased outright by
John George Alexander Leishman
John George Alexander Leishman (March 28, 1857 – March 27, 1924) was an American businessman and diplomat. He worked in various executive positions at Carnegie Steel Company and later served as an ambassador for the United States.
Early life
...
in 1907, who was at the time the
United States Ambassador to Turkey
The United States has maintained many high level contacts with Turkey since the 19th century.
Ottoman Empire
Chargé d'Affaires
*George W. Erving (before 1831)
* David Porter (September 13, 1831 – May 23, 1840)
Minister Resident
* David Port ...
. Leishman bought the palazzo using 28,000 liras of his own money on the assumption that he would be reimbursed for his expenditure.
However, the
United States government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
refused to compensate Leishman for the property, considering the purchase to be a personal expense. In response, Leishman invited a number of members of
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
to a party at which a poker game was played. While playing one hand of poker, Leishman bet some of his competitors that, if he won, the government would reimburse him for his acquisition of the Palazzo Corpi.
Leishman won, and the United States government reimbursed Leishman, and in doing so officially acquired the Palazzo Corpi as its embassy in Turkey.
In the words of Thomas J. Carolan, Jr. of the
American Foreign Service Association
American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), established in 1924, is the professional association of the United States Foreign Service. With over 15,000 dues-paying members, American Foreign Service Association represents 28,000 active and retir ...
, "Palazzo Corpi thereby acquired the unique distinction of being the first and only U.S. diplomatic premises to be won in a poker game."
In addition to becoming an administrative hub, the palazzo also became the official residence of the United States ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. In 1908 a wing of the building was converted into offices for the chancery.
Following the designation of
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
as Turkey's capital in 1923, the United States began to transfer diplomatic facilities to the new capital. The embassy of the United States in Turkey was moved to Ankara in 1937, and the Palazzo Corpi became the U.S. Consulate General. The building continued in this role until 2003, when security risks prompted the consulate to move its location.
In 2004 the
Hollings Center
The Hollings Center for International Dialogue is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to fostering dialogue between the United States and countries with predominantly Muslim populations in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asi ...
was founded with the intent to foster dialogue between the United States and the nations of the Middle East. One of the goals of the organization is to maintain the Palazzo Corpi.
Current occupancy
In 2014 the United States agreed to lease the palazzo to Soho House, a hotel club. Soho House then refurbished parts of the building at a cost of $12 million. These renovations were finished in 2015, after which the Palazzo Corpi became a hotel and conference center. The building continues to house office space for the Hollings Center's operations in Turkey.
Design
Exterior
The Palazzo Corpi was designed by Giacomo Leoni in the style of a
neoclassical Italian palazzo.
Decoration
The palazzo is richly adorned with materials imported from Italy, such as
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
flooring and facings from
Carrara
Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, west-northwest o ...
. The main hall of the residence is decorated with
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es depicting figures from Greek and Roman mythology, as well as other classical figures. These frescoes were painted over when the building was renovated in 1937, but have since been restored.
As a hotel
As a hotel the Palazzo Corpi (in addition to adjacent buildings also leased by Soho House) features 87 rooms, two restaurants, a public space adjacent to the main building, and a bar.
References
{{coord missing, Turkey
Hotels in Istanbul
Beyoğlu
Residential buildings completed in 1882
Neoclassical architecture in Turkey
19th-century architecture in Turkey