An English Architect in the 19Th Century Istanbul: William James Smith and Taşkışla1
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ITU A|Z • Vol 12 No 2 • July 2015 • 93-101 An English architect in the 19th century Istanbul: William James Smith and Taşkışla1 Aygül AĞIR1, Affe BATUR2, V. Gül CEPHANECİGİL3, Seda KULA SAY4, Mine TOPÇUBAŞI ÇİLİNGİROĞLU5, A. Hilal UĞURLU6 1 [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey 2 [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey 3 [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey 4 [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli, Turkey 5 [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, Istanbul, Turkey 6 [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey Received: January 2015 Final Acceptance: April 2015 Abstract An English architect William James Smith had worked in Istanbul from 1842 to 1856, a most politically infuential period for the British Empire. Smith, afer his appointment to the prestigious project for the new Istanbul Embassy Building of United Kingdom, whose conceptual design was probably by renowned architect Sir Charles Barry, had attained the interest and trust of Ottoman statesmen. Consequently he was assigned to realise a number of important architectural projects contributing to the modernization of Ottoman Architecture. Some of the Smith’s important works for the Ottoman Porte are: A military hospital [Gümüşsuyu Askeri Hastanesi], a naval hospital, a school of medicine later known as Mecidiye Kışlası then Taşkışla, a part of the Selimiye Barracks, a Glass Pavilion in Dolmabahçe Palace and Tophane Imperial Kiosk [Tophane Kasrı] for Sultan Abdülmecid; a building for the Board of Trade, renovation of the Naum Teatre. His commissions for so many important buildings, in spite of the 1 Tis article presence of the notable architects, namely Balyan and Fossati, is a proof of Sultan’s is a product of appreciation of Smith’s works. TUBİTAK-SOBAG project (109 K 099) Smith worked for both the British Empire and the Ottoman Sultan for a con- titled “İstanbul siderable number of grand scale projects. Being Smith’s frst work of grand scale, Mimarlığında Taşkışla has had a major role in the history of the Ottoman Empire and Istanbul Mimar William in addition to its own interesting construction history. James Smith ve Taşkışla (Mecidiye Kışlası) – Mimarlık Tarihi Açısından Bir Değerlendirme” completed by autors Keywords in 2011. English architect, William James Smith, 19th century, Istanbul, Taşkışla. 94 1. Introduction appointment on 30 June 1840 as “as- 2 We thank to Dr. Te British architect William James sistant surveyor” to the “Metropolitan Massimo Sanacore, Director of ASLI for Smith (1807-1884) was sent to Istan- Improvements” department which was his valuable help. bul for the construction of the British in charge of urban projects and direct- Embassy in this city and enjoyed the ed by Tomas Chawer and James Pen- most productive period of his career nethorne. However, one year afer this 3 Cemetery as an architect in the Ottoman capital appointment, on 22 June 1841 he lef record number: 2PPsSGIVO1. We in the years between 1841 and 1858. for Istanbul (NA, CRES/1616.). thank to Matteo Tis period, in which Ottoman-Brit- As for the period when he again Giunti for his ish relations intensifed following the worked for the Ofce of Works afer valuable help on Baltalimanı Trade Agreement (1838), his return from Istanbul to England, he fnding the tomb coincides with intensive construction is known to have been recruited as an of William James activities in which important urban “architectural assistant” a post created Smith in Florence. planning was shaped by the moving especially for him. In the above men- of the palace to Dolmabahçe afer the tioned letter, Smith pointed out that Tanzimat (Reformation) and therefore during this period he prepared the pro- with various state investments on the jects of the reorganization of Burling- slopes of Dolmabahçe and particulary ton House for the new use of the state, in the area between Taksim and Nişan- the restoration of the Birmingham and taşı. It appears that during this period Bath post ofces, the transformation Smith worked on numerous prestig- of the Carisbrooke Castle into an ar- ious architectural projects in Istanbul, moury for the militia forces and the attracted great interest, and won the Bedford Lunatic Asylum into a facto- recognition of the Palace. At a period ry for arms (NA, T1/640 1A: 20465). when well-known architects such as However, in 1856 the Ofce retired the Balyans and Fossatis were mak- him against his will on the justifca- ing their presence felt, the content of tion that there was not enough work the projects commissioned to Smith is for the position he held. Smith’s career proof that the architect was also recog- afer this retirement is quite unusual nized by the Sultan. for an architect: “Due to his qualifca- tions and his devotion to the Ottoman 2. William James Smith State” he was appointed by order of the Knowledge about the professional de- Sultan frst as Headconsul of Livorno velopment of William James Smith (BOA, HH.d.17402; ASLI2, Prefettu- before he came to Istanbul is rather ra di Livorno, No: 440, date 1862), in limited. Smith’s death certifcate found 1879 as consul of Florence (BOA, İ. in the section of deaths in overseas HR. 153 /8129), and fnally was award- countries of the British General Re- ed a fourth class Mecidi Order while cords Ofce indicates that he died on 8 he was Headconsul of Toscana (BOA, December 1884 in Florence at the age İ.HR.176/ 9668). Smith died in Tos- of 77. Hence, it was postulated that he cana and his grave was found at the was born in 1807 (GRO, Death Certif- Cimitero Evangelico degli Allori in Flor- cate, F005942). ence3. His birth and death dates on his We know that in 1830 he start- tomb stone in Florence are recorded as ed working at the “Ofce of Works”, a 24th March 1807- 9th December 1884. government unit responsible for the maintenance, design and construction 3. Smith’s buildings in Istanbul for of the royal buildings (NA, T1/640 1A: the British Government 20465). In a letter he wrote before he Te new building considered to re- retired and in which he narrated his place the old embassy residence that professional life, Smith pointed out burned down in the fre of August 1831 that he was trained as an “architect was the starting point of William James and surveyor” and on completing his Smith’s long lasting relations with Is- professional training, began to work tanbul and the Ottoman State. Smith in public service with “very good rec- who came to Istanbul in 1841 on an ommendations” (NA, T1/640 1A: urgent request of the Foreign Afairs 20465). Te only information on the Ministry (NA, Work 10/1 (21-40): 38- position(s) he held in this service is his 40) for a “competent architect”, rapidly ITU A|Z • Vol 12 No 2 • July 2015 • A. Ağır, A. Batur, V. G. Cephanecigil, S. Kula Say, M. Topçubaşı Çilingiroğlu, A. H. Uğurlu 95 rented a temporary residence in Pera for the ambassador and proceeded to do the necessary organization (NA, Work 10/1 (21-40): 30-34). Howev- er, the quest for a plot of land for the embassy that would meet the approval of both the British and Ottoman gov- ernments lasted four years, and it was fnally decided to build the new em- bassy on the existing plot (Crinson, 1996; Hamzaoğlu, 1996). During the Figure 1. British Embassy, Istanbul design process -the conceptual design (authors). was probably by renowned architect the time, Smith had prepared a pro- Sir Charles Barry (Barry, 1973) - that ject for the improvement of the exist- Smith started before the plot decision ing hospital in 1846. Afer the damage was made, he was reminded to design caused by the fre in 1847, he revised “A building not to decorate the Turkish his project so as to include the consu- capital or to attract the attention of pas- late, jail, and police station (NA, Work sengers going through the Bosphorus but 1/39:85). However, the approval of the to provide the necessary comfort for the project and budget was actualized in residence of Her Majesty’s ambassador” 1854 and this project was too material- (NA, Work 10/1 (81-100):94-95). Tis ized by Wood and Pulman (NA, Work point is worth noting not only because 1/44:92-97). it shows the expectations of the British government but also because it helps 4. Buildings by Smith for the Otto- to understand the long processes of man State and Dignitaries budget negotiations between the Brit- During this long and stagnant pe- ish government and Istanbul during riod when Smith was working for the the construction. Building operations British government, he established were directed from the Ofce of Works good relations with the Ottoman ad- in London although its site was quite ministration and presented projects to far from England and its execution was the palace as of 1845. Te frst among subject to diferent local conditions, these was the project prepared on the and the coincident construction of the request of the palace in collaboration Dolmabahçe Palace led to a shortage with the Fossatis for the burnt Gala- not to underestimate the shortage of ta Bridge and the surrounding quays. workers and materials. Because of these We know that the Fossati brothers, conditions, the ambassador’s residence with whom he was to cooperate, were could be completed only in 1851 (Fig- very popular and were commissioned ure 1).