The Tayyare Apartments (initially ota, Harikzedegân Apartmanları, script=Latn or later tr, Tayyare Apartmanları) are a complex of four buildings designed by Turkish architect

Mimar Kemaleddin Ahmet Kemalettin or Kemaleddin (1870-13 July 1927), widely known as Mimar Kemalettin (Kemalettin the Architect) and Kemalettin Bey, was a renowned Turkish architect the during the late Ottoman Empire and the early years of the newly established ...

, completed in 1922 and located in the old city of

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. The apartments were originally built as

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

for the victims of a great fire, converted later into hotel premises. Formerly Ramada Hotel and then Merit Antique Hotel, the complex is currently a

five star hotel Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...

of the Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts chain named Crowne Plaza Istanbul Old City.

History

Tayyare Apartments

In 1918, a great fire destroyed numerous buildings in wide areas at the old city of Istanbul, mainly in neighborhoods of Cibali, Altımermer and Fatih. Plans were made to construct residential buildings at least for a part of low-income fire victims, who had lost their houses. Renowned Turkish architect Kemaleddin Bey (1870-1927) was commissioned with the task to develop apartments in Laleli quarter. Ottoman Ministry of Foundations donated the empty ground of Koska

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

, which belonged to

Laleli Mosque The Laleli Mosque ( tr, Laleli Camii, or Tulip Mosque) is an 18th-century Ottoman imperial mosque located in Laleli, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey. History The Laleli Mosque was built by Sultan Mustafa III from 1760–1763, designed in the Ottom ...

's Complex, and was partly destroyed by the 1894 Istanbul earthquake and then burnt down in 1911. The construction, financed by voluntarily donations from residents of Istanbul, began in 1919 and was completed in 1922. Styled in Turkish neoclassical architecture, the low-rise structure consists of a ground floor, a mezzanine and two floors topped with a roof floor reaching a total height of . The complex consists of four symmetrical, equal-sized quadratic buildings separated by

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

s, all forming a block. Tayyare Apartments were the first modern buildings constructed in reinforced concrete, and the first public housing project within the walled old city of Istanbul. There were a total of 124 apartments with three or five rooms and covered terrace, 25 shops and in addition laundrette for common use, as well as coal bunkers for each apartment. The building complex was called initially "Harikzedegân Apartmanları" meaning "Apartments for Fire Victims". The completion of the complex coincided with the ending of the Ottoman Empire, and the designated lodgers could not move in. After the apartments were transferred to the

Turkish Aeronautical Association Turkish Aeronautical Association ( tr, Türk Hava Kurumu - THK) is a non-profit organization with an aim of increasing public awareness and participation in aviation related activities and the national body governing air sports in Turkey. The asso ...

(formerly tr, Türk Tayyare Cemiyeti, now tr, Türk Hava Kurumu, THK) in the newly founded Republic, they were renamed "Tayyare Apartmanları" meaning "Aircraft Apartments". The apartments were used for residential purposes only until 1985. Tayyare Apartments are situated between

Beyazıt Square Beyazıt Square ( tr, Beyazıt Meydanı) lies to the north of Ordu Caddesi in the district of Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey. Officially named ''Freedom Square'' (), it is more generally known as Beyazıt Square after the early Ottoman Bayezid II Mosq ...

and

Aksaray Aksaray (, Koine Greek: Ἀρχελαΐς ''Arhelays'', Medieval Greek: Κολώνεια ''Koloneya'', Ancient Greek: Γαρσάουρα ''Garsaura'') is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Aksaray Province. In 202 ...

in Ordu Cad. (Ordu Caddesi) next to the 18th-century Laleli Mosque.

Redevelopment as hotel

In 1985, the historical complex was leased to Göksel Marine company for a term of twenty years to be converted into a three-star hotel. However, the lessee could not afford the financial resources needed, and formed a partnership with the tourism company Net Holding. After spending US$27 million, Net Holding redeveloped Tayyare Apartments transforming them into a five-star hotel. The project was led by architect Erdem Ertunga. The company operated the premises in the beginning under the name "Ramada Hotel" and later as "Merit Antique Hotel". In November 2000, Net Holding purchased the shares of Göksel Marine and became the sole operator. Due to financial problems with Net Holding, however, the THK revoked the lease in 2003, four years before the legal termination of the contract. The THK argued with financial loss due to the payment of the annual lease in Turkish currency that was affected by devaluation under high-inflation in those years. In the beginning, annual lease of 400 million were equivalent to US$760,000. However, in 2003 the equivalent value in US dollars were only 30,000, while the lessee was earning at the same time US$800,000 from the sublease of twelve stores under the hotel, claimed the THK. Net Holding was forced to move out in August 2004. In November 2005, the textile company Naz Giyim became the new lessee at an annual payment of US$3 million for a lease period of twenty years.

Crowne Plaza Istanbul Old City

Naz Textile signed an agreement with Crowne Plaza chain to rebrand the hotel, and began with renovation work. It was planned to open the hotel end 2006. Meanwhile, the company built a new hotel of the Crowne Plaza chain in the historical Sultanahmet quarter, and transferred the leasing rights on the Tayyare Apartments to the company Dorak Tour for

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

25 million, reportedly. On May 26, 2008, after standing vacant almost three years long for renovation work, the complex opened its doors in three of the four buildings, rebranded as the five-star Crowne Plaza Hotel Istanbul Old City. Having a total floor area of , the hotel consists of 265 deluxe rooms, a

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...

lounge, executive boardrooms, three meeting rooms, atrium lounges for 70-150 people, two restaurants of Turkish and

international cuisine Fusion cuisine is cuisine that combines elements of different cuisine, culinary traditions that originate from different countries, regions, or cultures. They can occur naturally and become aspects of culturally relevant cuisines, or they can be ...

and a health club. The hotel is situated in walking distance from historical sites like Grand Bazaar,

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace ( tr, Topkapı Sarayı; ota, طوپقپو سرايى, ṭopḳapu sarāyı, lit=cannon gate palace), or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the complet ...

, Blue Mosque and many other tourist attractions in the old city. The distance to

Taksim Square Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...

is and to the Atatürk International Airport .

References

External links

*{{cite book, url=http://www.otelcenneti.com/merit-sahmaran-hotel.html , title=Harikzedegan'dan Merit Antique'e Tayyare Apartmanları / Otel Merit Antique: Geçmişi ve Bugünü , author=Türkoğlu, Sabahattin , publisher=NET Şirketler Grubu , language=Turkish , pages=64 , year=1998 , location=Istanbul , isbn=978-9944453738 , accessdate=2013-02-25

Image gallery

File:Tayyare_Apts_1.jpg, Tayyare Apartments seen from east File:Tayyare_Apts_4.jpg, Inside view of staircase and balconies File:Tayyare Apts 5.jpg, Atrium café of Crowne Plaza Hotel Istanbul Old City (Tayyare Apartments) Ottoman architecture in Istanbul Neoclassical architecture in Turkey Residential buildings completed in 1922 Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire Apartment buildings Redevelopment projects in Istanbul Hotels in Istanbul Hotels established in 1985 1985 establishments in Turkey Hotels established in 2006 2006 establishments in Turkey Crowne Plaza hotels Fatih First Turkish National architecture Mimar Kemaleddin buildings