Başaran Apartmanı

Who could imagine that this seemingly ordinary building, the Başaran Apartmanı, holds such a captivating past? Right here, in the heart of Nişantaşı, this apartment building witnessed the golden age of Turkish cinema. Başaran Apartmanı wasn’t always just an apartment building. Its ground floor housed the legendary Konak Sineması, a hotspot in its heyday. Imagine stepping out of your apartment and directly into the bustling cinema foyer. This grand building was commissioned by Hakkı Başaran, a prominent businessman of his time. The Arkitekt Dergisi confirms this fact, dispelling rumors that it was İbrahim Başaran. The 1949 edition paints a vivid picture of Başaran Apartmanı. Five complete apartments, a ground floor, and a half-basement comprised the building. Each apartment boasted nine rooms. A central heating system, caretaker’s quarters, and laundry facilities were located in the basement, accessible through two separate passages leading to the back garden. The architect, Muhittin Binan, cleverly designed the building with service entrances leading to a spacious inner courtyard. The front, facing Vali Konağı Caddesi, was designed for living quarters. The back, overlooking a tranquil garden – once part of Maçka Park and referred to as the “Children’s Park” – housed the bedrooms. This provided a peaceful retreat from the city’s hustle. Originally a six-story building, a seventh floor was added later by the family sometime before the 1970s. This addition altered the building’s original elegant and proportional architecture. Hakkı Başaran’s daughter’s daughter, Ayşe Atakan Genç, shared intimate details about life in Başaran Apartmanı. She recounted how each apartment measured a staggering 400 square meters. They even had designated rooms for maids and separate toilets! The intricate design included separate entrances to the dining room, a thoughtful feature to accommodate the sometimes strained relationships between the daughters-in-law. She also remembers the separate area for coffee making, located just outside the kitchen. Ayşe fondly describes the building as a “dream.” Sadly, internal family disputes following Hakkı Başaran’s death in 1966 led to the sale of Konak Sineması. It was intended to be converted into a passage, but it remains untouched to this day. So next time you pass Başaran Apartmanı, remember the glamorous past hidden within its walls. It’s a testament to a bygone era, a dream captured in stone and concrete.