Metrohan Building

The Metrohan Building (Turkish: Metrohan Binası) is a 7-story office building in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. The building was built between 1912 and 1914. The ground floor of the building contains the Beyoğlu Tünel station, which is the northern terminus of the historic 573 m (1,880 ft) long funicular railway. The building gets its name from the railway itself; as Metro Han can be translated to Metro House or Metro Building.

Metrohan Building
Metrohan Binası
The Metrohan building with the entrance to Beyoğlu station.
Alternative namesBeyoğlu İstasyon Binası
General information
StatusComplete
TypeOffice building
AddressErkan-i Harp Sk. 2, Şahkulu Mah., 34425
Town or cityBeyoğlu, Istanbul
CountryTurkey
Elevation72 m (236 ft)
Current tenantsIETT
Named forTünel
Construction started1912
Opened1914
Technical details
Floor count7
Design and construction
ArchitectMikayel Nurican

History

When Beyoğlu station was under construction between 1871 and 1874, plans to construct a 5-story hotel building above the station were drawn out by chief engineer of the project, Eugène-Henri Gavand. However, when Gavand's shares in the railway were bought out, his plans for a hotel were also scrapped.[1]

The ground floor of the Metrohan building was the original Beyoğlu station structure, which opened in 1875. The original structure consisted of a wooden A-frame roof on top of the ground floor stone structure that exists today. In 1911, a Belgium company SOFINA bought the operating rights of the railway and needed a central office in Istanbul, known at the time as Constantinople. Plans to build a 6-story office building on top of Beyoğlu station were drawn up in Charleroi, Belgium by Turkish-Armenian architect Mikayel Nurican and construction began in 1912.[2] The original office building consisted of 4 floors (including the ground floor) with a smaller 2-story tower at the top.[3] The building was completed in 1914 and became the headquarters of Tünel operations.[2][4] In 1928, the 2-story tower was expanded as 2 extra floors and a 7th floor was constructed on top, bringing the building to its current height and shape. Istanbul Elektrik, Tramvay ve Tünel İşletmeleri (I.E.T.T.) bought the Tünel railway as well as the Metrohan building and began using it as their own general headquarters. IETT kept their headquarters in the building until 1983, when they moved to a newer building on top of Karaköy station. Today the building is still owned by IETT and used as an office building.

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See also
  • Beyoğlu (Tünel) - The railway station located within the Metrohan building.
  • Tünel Substation - A historic building containing the electrical substation of the Tünel railway.

References
  1. "Tünel Kronolojisi". tunel.iett.istanbul (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  2. Acar, Filiz (17 January 2011). "İETT'nin Kalbi - Metrohan". Tünel - Dünya'nın ikinci metrosu 138 yaşında (in Turkish). Istanbul: İETT İşletmeleri Genel Müdürlüğü. pp. 38–41. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  3. Kayaoğlu, Eren; Candaş, Adem; Kocabal, Ziya; İmrak, C. Erdem (25 September 2014). "Çevresi ve Mimari Özellikleri". İstanbul'un Tarihi Füniküleri "Tünel" (in Turkish). Istanbul: İTÜ Makine Fakültesi. pp. 299–300.
  4. "İETT'nin Kalbi Metrohan". tunel.iett.istanbul (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 December 2017.

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