An Afternoon of Art and Natural Beauty at Borusan Contemporary, Part One

Our quest:

to explore this "haunted mansion"

My friend Barbara proposed an afternoon outing yesterday. I was deep into a good book so I took much convincing.

"It's too beautiful to stay indoors!" she said. It was beautiful too. This summer temperatures in Istanbul this year have been wonderfully temperate. "O-k-a-y," I said reluctantly. Sometimes you just have to trust your friend and go with her.

This was our quest: to explore this magnificent old building from 1910. It's called the Perili Köşk, or Haunted Mansion. For years, it had an outer shell only. The entire building had never been fully finished as war had interrupted construction. While it sat in that state, the building would make noises that spooked the neighborhood as materials shifted around. Hence, its reputation as haunted.

 We walked from Barbara's place

in the Bebek neighborhood

along the captivating Bosphorus corniche

to Perili Köşk Istanbul,

about a 15-minute walk.

The renovation of the building

 by architect Hakan Kıran

had been done perfectly;

all the new materials enhanced

the magnificence of the 10-story building.

 

Our lunchtime view:

an Istanbul ferry under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge

The Haunted Mansion had been renovated and updated with spectacular attention to detail. The inside was light, airy, and modern - not in a way that fought with the historic nature of the house, but in a way that uplifted the spirit and sharpened the senses.

 

The historic building has been leased to Borusan Contemporary Holding Company on a long-term lease. During the week, over 70 people worked there managing a portfolio of companies. On weekends, the building is opened up to the public to explore and enjoy. Not only is it a workplace, but an office art museum.

 

Our first stop was the second floor, where we were having lunch with Internations friends in the museum café.

This young Turkish woman

 had been fasting for Ramadan

since sunrise.

She sat with us at lunch,

 and as you can see,

she still had her humor.

This Polish woman

was such a firecracker.

She had come from practicing dressage

all morning

for a competition in Bulgaria

next month.

Serdar, the organizer for our outing,

had just been to Ecuador

for a homeopathy convention

where he was the lone Turk in attendance.

He had enjoyed serving as the

"flagbearer for his country."

Every spot in the café had an amazing view

of the Bosphorus

and the bridge and shipping traffic.

 

It was time to go in and explore the rest of the building. Our museum guide had arrived to show us around. I had no idea what to expect because I had not even heard of the building before that day. Come back for my next post on the Borusan Contemporary to see what we discovered:

An Afternoon of Art and Natural Beauty at Borusan Contemporary, Part Two

An Afternoon of Art and Natural Beaty at Borusan Contemporary, Part Three

 

 

You might enjoy a few other posts about architecture:

 

The Days of Wine and Roses and Tulips: Wine Tasting at the Four Seasons Sultanahmet

 

Come and Join Us for Coffee

 

Art Deco Elegance in Old Town Prague

 

I Needed Some Cash in My New Neighborhood

 

Pavel's Prague, Part Two: Grand Café Orient

 

 

 

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