Restoration work has begun on the 123-year-old Botter Apartment, one of the symbolic structures of Istanbul’s historical Beyoğlu district.

Casa Botter (Botter Apartment), which was built in the 1900s on today’s Istiklal Street, was commissioned by Sultan Abdülhamid II for the palace’s fashion tailor Jean Botter. It was constructed by Italian architect Raimondo Tommaso D’Aronco to serve both as a fashion house and a home for the Botter family. It was the first building constructed in the Art Nouveau style in Istanbul. After the Botter parents lost their son due to an illness, they migrated to Paris and the building changed hands.

A ceremony was held for the launch of the restoration of the apartment by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). Speaking at the ceremony, IBB Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu said, Istanbul is a magnificent city with a rich history, and Istiklal Street is an important center in this context.

"Beyoğlu is a place that stands at the center of the steps we are taking to protect this heritage in Istanbul. Our main goal here is to make the real identity of the city felt by Istanbulites and to present it to the whole world."

Reminding that Istanbul was a city that won the "UNESCO City of Design" title in 2017, Imamoğlu said, "Even though the city has won such a title, it does not have a design center. With the restoration of Casa Botter, we are providing the city with a design center that we dreamed of. We believe it will provide space for talented individuals to display their designs and will be very beneficial for the city. Our choice of the Botter Apartment for this purpose is very important as it served as the center of fashion and architecture in the history of the city."

The mayor lastly added that Casa Botter will function as a roof under which designers, artists, culture experts and other creative individuals and institutions will come together in Beyoğlu.