Category: Cultural
Type: Museum
Location: Hobyar, Bankacılar St. Fatih
Date: 1892
Designer: Yovan Kastoryadis
Period: Ottoman Empire
Photos: Emre Ogan, İş Sanat (issanat.com.tr)
The historical Yenicami building of Türkiye İş Bankası, which serves as a museum today, was constructed in 1892 as the Istanbul Post Office by architect Yovan Kastoryadis. Following the inauguration of the Grand Post Office in Sirkeci in 1909, the Yenicami building continued its operations as a parcel post office. In 1923, the ownership of the building was transferred to İtibar-ı Milli Bankası. Following the merger of this bank with Türkiye İş Bankası in 1927, the building was also handed over to İş Bankası. After the merger, the Istanbul branches of both banks began serving as a single branch within the Yenicami building as of February 20, 1928. During this period, an additional floor was added to the structure, vault rooms were imported from abroad, and a bust of Atatürk sculpted by Kenan Yontunç was placed on the building’s grand staircase. Serving as one of the most important branches of İş Bankası and officially named the Yenicami Branch starting from the 1950s, the building functioned as a bank branch until 2004. Restoration works began in 2005 to convert the building into a museum. During the restoration process, the floors added in the 1950s were removed to lighten the load on the structure. The original furniture and the branch layout were preserved in their authentic state, while the main vault and safe deposit box rooms were organized for public exhibition. The building was opened to visitors as the Türkiye İş Bankası Museum on November 14, 2007.
