İstanbul AKM, which opened its doors as the world's fourth largest art center in 1969 and has an important place in Turkey's art and urban memory with its marks, continues to host art lovers with the slogan ‘’Once Again AKM!’’ in 2021.
The story of the Atatürk Cultural Center began in 1936 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk invited the French architect and city planner Henri Prost to Turkey for city planning studies in İstanbul. The first master plan of İstanbul, prepared by Henri Prost in 1939, included the transformation of the Topçu Kışlası and nearby cemeteries into a park and the construction of an opera house in Taksim Square.
After the Second World War that took place between 1939-1945, the first groundbreaking ceremony of the Istanbul Opera House was held in line with the designs of Rükneddin Güney and Feridun Kip, who were appointed by the then-governor and mayor Dr. Lütfi Kırdar. However, the construction of the building could not be continued due to funding issues. Ten years later, the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement charged Hayati Tabanlıoğlu to reorganize the project in 1956. AKM opened its doors in 1969 as the İstanbul Culture Palace and remained in service until a fire broke out during a game played in 1970. After the 1978 fire, Hayati Tabanlıoğlu repaired it, reopened as "Atatürk Cultural Center" and remained in use until the 2000s.
AKM, whose renovation project was given to Tabanlıoğlu Architecture, was closed to visitors in 2008. In 2018, the demolition of the building, which had been empty for ten years. Following the modernization and interpretation under the management of Hayati Tabanlıoğlu's son Murat Tabanlıoğlu, AKM opened its doors one year later on October 29, 2021. The cultural center, where we, took part with our products as Dendro Parke, has five sections with a 7.500 m2 application area and a total area is 95,000 m2.
Tabanlıoğlu has not touched the characteristic façade features of AKM, which has become a symbol of Taksim Square after many years and has now gained an identity. Other preserved items include the spiral staircase in the interior, which is identified with the cultural center.
The new AKM, which is interpreted as having the technological equipment required by the era, has multi-purpose halls, gallery spaces, opera, and theater halls with a very high capacity. AKM, which also has an art center for children, separate platforms for cultural and art activities, a library, and a cinema, is perfect for hosting national and international art performances with its acoustic arrangements.
Since the Republic's first years, Atatürk Cultural Center has hosted cultural and art as one of the city's most influential figures. The return of one of the missing parts of the city has been a promising development for all of us, especially in the field of culture and arts by the contemporary signature of Murat Tabanlıoğlu.
References:
www.sanatatak.com
www.turizmajansi.com
www.arkitera.com
Credit of Photos:
Gürkan Akay
