Category: Cultural
Type: Museum, Cinema
Location: Kuloğlu, İstiklal Ave. Atlas Pasajı, Beyoğlu
Date: 1871
Designer: Andon Tülbentciyan, Garabed Tülbentciyan
Period: Ottoman Empire
Photos: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı (goturkiye.com), Atlas1948 (atlas1948.com)
The building housing the Istanbul Cinema Museum and Atlas 1948 Cinema, originally known as the Köçeyan Mansion, was constructed in the 1870s following the Great Pera Fire of 1870. Commissioned by the prominent Armenian banker Agop Köçeyan as a winter residence, the structure was designed by architects Andon and Garabed Tülbentciyan in a grand Neoclassical style. Featuring exquisite ceiling frescoes by the French painter Hippolyte-Dominique Berteaux and monumental marble interiors, the mansion served various functions—including a post office and a court—before its rear section was converted into the Atlas Cinema in 1948. Following a meticulous restoration by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the complex reopened in 2021 as a state-of-the-art museum and cultural hub, preserving its 19th-century architectural splendor while celebrating the heritage of Turkish cinema.
