Category: Commercial
Type: Bank
Location: Arap Cami, Bankalar Ave. Beyoğlu
Date: 1892
Designer: Alexandre Vallaury
Period: Ottoman Empire
Photos: Iwan Baan (Just First Photo); Cemal Emden
Designed by the French-Levantine architect Alexandre Vallaury and opened in 1892 as the Imperial Ottoman Bank headquarters, this monumental structure in Istanbul is celebrated for the striking stylistic duality between its Neoclassical and Orientalist facades. The building underwent a significant repurposing project led by Han Tümertekin of Mimarlar Tasarım, which involved stripping away later additions to reveal its original character while adapting its interior for a multi-layered cultural program. Today, the space functions as SALT Galata, a contemporary hub that integrates the Ottoman Bank Museum, the extensive SALT Research library and archive, and various specialized areas like the wooden-ribbed Auditorium and the “white cube” exhibition gallery. By blending Vallaury’s historic eclecticism with modern interventions by designers such as Şanal Mimarlık and Autoban, the building serves as a narrative bridge between the late Ottoman financial era and Turkey’s current landscape of art, research, and collective production.
