Esma Sultan Mansion

A multipurpose event space in the Ortaköy district of Istanbul, built inside the ruins of a brick palace that was built in 1875 by architect Sarkis Balyan for Esma Sultan, sister of Sultan Abdülaziz.

The incorporated structure is built out of steel and glass within the original brick exterior. The glass box is tethered to the walls with suspension rods, which ensure that the structures remain equidistant from each other and are able to withstand bad weather and earthquakes. The building is set on several levels and includes a bar, a restaurant, and an event hall.
Variant Names Esma Sultan Yalisi, Esma Sultan Hall, The Marmara Esma Sultan
Location Istanbul, Turkey
Architect/Planner Gökhan Avcioglu
Architect/Planner Sarkis Balyan
Date 1875, destroyed 1975, additions 2001
Style/Period Ottoman
Centuries 19th, 21st
Decade 2000s
Building Type public/cultural
Building Usage cultural center
Project ID 2820
Keywords adaptive re-use