This article offers an in>depth historical and architectural analysis of a significant building complex, known as Bulgur Palas. This iconic and monumental example of civil architecture from the early twentieth century is located in the Cerrahpaşa district of Istanbul. Commissioned by Bolu Deputy Mehmed Habib Bey, the building is a noteworthy example of the First National Architectural Style. The function of Bulgur Palas has transformed throughout the decades due to war, economic hardships, and social dynamics. Therefore, the building became a symbol of sociopolitical transformations from the late Ottoman era to Republican Turkey. Built as a grandiose residential complex during the late Ottoman era, the building adopted numerous functions as a military facility, storage and lodgment for the Ottoman Bank during the rest of the twentieth century. Eventually, after many years of neglect, Bulgur Palas has recently been acquired by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and repurposed as a cultural center in 2024 after a comprehensive restoration and retrofitting. 

This research aims to shed light on the social, architectural, and cultural history of this significant edifice from the early twentieth century, drawing on the outcomes of the recent restoration and scholarly research. Unpublished archival documents and visual and textual materials from the Ottoman State Archives, Archives of the Turkish Republic, Archives of the Turkish National Assembly, Atatürk Library photography and maps collection, photography archives of the Air Forces, Istanbul University Rare Books Library, SALT Archive, Bibliothèque nationale de France, as well as Ottoman, Turkish, and French newspapers and magazines of the period were used to unveil the history of the building and the period in general.

This article is composed of three sections. The first part focuses on Mehmed Habib Bey, the patron of the building and a controversial figure of the Second Constitutional Period. The second part of the research focuses on the building complex, reveals its construction date and history based on historical maps and archival data, and discusses its role in architectural history. This part also discusses the architect of the building, which is currently unidentified according to written documents. The last section scrutinises the characteristic architectural and decorative program of Bulgur Palas, particularly discussing its unfinished status and unplastered brick façade

It is known that the monumental mansion, its surrounding facilities, and walled courtyards were commissioned by Mehmed Habib Bey, who was the deputy of Bolu during the Second Constitutional Era. An active member of the Committee of Union and Progress, Habib Bey swiftly became a prominent character in politics, and was elected as a deputy during the first and second elections of the period. Even though he was not reelected during the third elections, he was appointed to critical positions, thanks to his personal connections with the grandees of the Committee of Union and Progress, such as Topal İsmail Hakkı Paşa, the director of Munities of the Ministry of War (Harbiye Nezareti Levazım Reisi) and the member of the Assembly of the Notables (Meclis-i Ayan) Ürgüplü Mustafa Hayri Efendi. With the outbreak of the Great War (World War I), Habib Bey became a "military contractor" responsible for providing supplies for the Ottoman army. This lucrative position brought him an immense fortune. The press of the period explicitly blamed Habib Bey for becoming a “war profiteer” (harp zengini) and named him Bulgur Kralı (the King of Bulgur). 

His monumental mansion, erected at one of the hilltops of the Historic Peninsula, was an ostentatious display of his accumulated wealth during the war years. Therefore, the grandiose mansion of Habib Bey was named Bulgur Palas (the Palas of cracked wheat) as a critique of his rapid fortune. However, with the end of the First World War and the occupation of Istanbul, Habib Bey was sent into exile to Malta together with other members of the Committee of Union and Progress. Bulgur Palas was left unfinished, and during the Armistice period, the building was confiscated by the Ottoman Ministry of War. Against the objections of Bedia Hanım, Habib Bey’s wife, the mansion –against its unfinished status– was converted into a military facility to accommodate wounded soldiers. After Habib Bey’s return from exile in 1921, his financial status continued to decline and finally the Ottoman Bank confiscated Bulgur Palas in exchange for his debts. The building complex remained under the possession of the Ottoman Bank for much of the twentieth century. Bulgur Palas became a storage facility for the bank’s archives and its annexes were used as lodgment for its employees. During this period, the monumental mansion was left in a neglected state, away from public access and scholarly research. Therefore, the history of this significant building remained a mystery for the wider public until its recent acquisition by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 2021. 

The exact building date of Bulgur Palas is not yet documented. However, based on the archival documents from Istanbul Atatürk Library Maps Collection and the Ottoman Archives, it can be stated that the building activities commenced by 1912-13. The architect of Bulgur Palas is not known either. Even though the building is attributed to Ottoman/Italian/Levantine architect Giulio Mongeri in some academic and non-academic sources, no solid evidence or written records could be found within the scope of this research so far to support this argument. The only written document mentioning Mongeri in relation to Bulgur Palas is from the archives of the Ottoman Bank. As the architect of the bank, Mongeri made a financial evaluation for the building. However, it is a fact that the morphological details of Bulgur Palas resonate with the architecture of Mongeri buildings, and certain correspondences in spatial and decorative vocabulary could be observed. Nevertheless, this article argues that Bulgur Palas is an archetypical example of the First National Architectural Style, which nearly became the official architectural style of the Committee of Union and Progress during the Second Constitutional Era. Therefore, other architects of the period, such as Vedad Tek, Kemaleddin Bey, Yervant Terziyan, Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu, Ali Talât Bey, Muzaffer Bey, Mihran Azaryan, who adopted and used the First National Architectural Style in their designs could also be the architect of Bulgur Palas.

The monumental mansion, with its elevated entrance, belvedere towers, decorative details, marble balustrades, lavish marble columns and ornamented column capitals, is a typical representative of the First National Architectural Style. However, Bulgur Palas is exceptional as a civil building, constructed by a private patron for residential purposes. The most striking and characteristic aspect of the building is its unplastered red brick façade. Both the exterior and the interior of the building –except for the annexes– were not plastered and it is not known whether this was a conscious design decision or the building was left incomplete due to financial difficulties followed by political upheavals. The belvedere towers, another prominent architectural feature of Bulgur Palas, are plastered on the outside. It is documented that there used to be three towers in the building in its original configuration, yet one of them was later demolished at an unknown date. Despite its unfinished status, the interior organisation of the spaces adorned with different types of arches at each floor confirms the architectural quality and diligence attributed to the building.

The monumental scale, high belvedere towers, and unusual red colour of Bulgur Palas, surrounded by high walls with grandiose entrance portals, contrasted with the relatively modest residential fabric of the Cerrahpaşa district. The building, with its elevated position, commands the skyline of Old Istanbul both from the sea and the land. Therefore, the building remained a point of curiosity for the onlookers yet remained inaccessible to the public. The acquisition of the building complex by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 2021 started a new chapter in the history of Bulgur Palas. The restoration and renovation works, carried out by Renova Restoration, offer a holistic perspective to repurpose the complex into a cultural center. Contemporary adaptive reuse principles were implemented to retrofit the structure and convert its spaces into a library, café, exhibition spaces, and workshop areas for public use. 

With its opening to the public as a vibrant cultural center in 2024, Bulgur Palas and its history became a point of attraction in the press and on social media. However, no scholarly research or in-depth survey has been conducted so far, unveiling the mystique surrounding the building. This article aims to fill this gap by publishing the findings of our academic research with the broader public. This study, focusing on a significant component of Istanbul’s urban heritage, documents the architectural and historical past of Bulgur Palas and hopes to become a source for future research. As a monograph of a single building complex, the research hopes to offer a methodology to document and publish the findings of other restorations that were recently completed or will take place in the near future. In this context, the story of Bulgur Palas and its patron, offers a unique narrative of the dissolution of the Ottoman State, the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, and the role of local governance in preserving the historical and architectural heritage of Istanbul.