Eyüp Muhcu, the Chairman of the Chamber of Architects of Turkey, wrote an article, "Justice and democracy for AKM!", calling for the protection of Atatürk Cultural Centre against the plans of the destruction of the building.
Justice for Atatürk Cultural Centre
"AKM, one of the symbolic values of the Republic and a cultural asset, is under the threat of demolition in spite of conservation, restoration and judicial decisions. Despite all the social sensitivities, all conservation and legal norms are ignored and the destruction of the monumental structure is insisted and reawakened", Eyüp Muhcu said.
Muhcu added, "Moreover, this threat is posed on behalf of the Presidency which is in charge of protecting this very valuable art factory in the name of the public…", and continued:
AKM, which has come to agenda since its establishment with social-art events and social developments, leading large public masses to participate in the debate for such a long time as a rare example in the world, has been at the center of the 'demolition' debates since 2003 due to the hostile attitude towards the Republic's cultural heritage and cultural and artistic venues.
In order to construct a big opera building in İstanbul, the studies started in the 1930s and the foundations of AKM, among the modern architectural works of the early Republican period, were laid in 1946. The building was completed and opened to service in 1969. In 1970, the building witnessed a fire, and after the damages are repaired it started to serve again in 1978.
AKM, where approximately two millions of audiences meet with the art, has been closed to culture, arts, artists and citizens on the grounds of restoration since 2008 in front of the eyes of the whole world...
Why AKM wanted to be demolished?
It is possible to evaluate the initiatives related to AKM and to understand [President] R. Tayyip Erdoğan's AKM phobia within the frame of an understanding which suggests "demolition process" for culture & art venues in general and the early Republican period architectural heritage, and can do everything for an "autocratic and rent-seeking" administration.
The AKP government imposes a "crooked and primitive" history understanding on our country and society with the idea of revenging on the Republic through the symbols, cultural heritage and venues as a source of social development of the Republic...
In this period, the cultural assets are systematically and persistently destroyed together with the venues where culture and arts are produced…
The façade of the AKM building covered with a banner reading "Do not surrender", during June (Gezi) Resistance.
The cultural heritage and traces of the Republic have been removed together with the destruction of Emek Cinema and Muhsin Ertuğrul Theatre, the attempts to construct Artillery Barracks in Gezi Park, the desire to demolish AKM in İstanbul; and building an illegal palace [referring to President Erdoğan’s palace] in Atatürk Forest Farm, the destruction of Etibank, Atatürk Mansion, Ankara AKM and İller Bankası building [a state-owned bank], and finally, the practices towards Anıtkabir in Ankara, …
Instead, in the control of Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ), new constructions are built in the form of a production far below the level reached by civilization in a frame of "dogmatic and profit maximization".
In a complex led by the inability to produce its own period; "concretion areas" are being built, which are the poor imitations of the Ottoman Empire, blunting creativity, lacking aesthetics, distorting the silhouettes of cities, representing alienation in human life, preventing access to public services, further increasing the existing problems and turning them into chaos.
Why should AKM be protected?
Some cultural venues are memorialized as being identified with the cities they are located. In the case of İstanbul AKM, this description becomes even stronger. AKM is undoubtedly one of the first places that come to mind when mentioned about İstanbul. Taksim and İstanbul are unimaginable without it.
AKM, the first contemporary opera building, was Europe's largest and World’s second largest opera house in the period when it was built. It is a cultural structure that is integrated with the Republic Square (Taksim) and İstanbul, having a very important place in social memory and deserving to be described as "the symbol of the Republic".
It is necessary to evaluate the AKM's becoming a symbolic structure by considering it with the cultural and artistic view and the characteristics of the experienced process. It is not possible to correctly indicate its importance in terms of the Republic, its place in the social memory, its culture and art relation and the position in architecture and contemporary urbanism when it is considered only as an individual building.
In terms of international conservation principles, its symbolic characteristics and being the first contemporary opera building is alone enough to protect AKM. However, there are other important features of the building in order to protect it.
Integrated with Cumhuriyet Square, Taksim Monument and Taksim Gezi Park and reaching out the Dolmabahçe Valley, AKM is the meeting point of İstanbulites and has an important reference of belonging. It provides an important spatial and symbolic support to the preservation and survival of the idea of publicity. The existence of such cultural and artistic spaces becomes even more important during the period in which "profit-seeking" is blessed, rather than the public approaches that are thwarted by privatized space organizations such as shopping malls, skyscrapers, ports, etc.
There are many unfair and speculative evaluations on AKM's architectural characteristics that ignore its value of "originality" value. However, it reflects the architectural characteristics of the period when it was built as an architectural work. "Functionality" and "simplicity" constitute a priority in terms of design principles. It is possible to see this principle approach on the structure, both when it was firstly built and during the interventions, after the fire, it was exposed.
"Continuity" as it has responded the expectations of contemporary society over 40 years since it was built, "memory" as it has become a matter of debate with social events, and “identity” as it has physically become a part of the memory of Istanbul, are among the important features of the building.
AKM cannot be destroyed legally
AKM is under assurance with the conservation law and international conventions signed by Turkey. In this frame, because of the values it has, AKM is legally required to be conserved particularly under the Law no 2863 on the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Property, since the zone is registered as "protected site" and the building is registered as "1st group of monumental structure".
In spite of these qualities and grounds, the initiatives for the demolition of AKM have been persistently continued; against the pressures to remove the "registration" decision, which is seen as an obstacle to demolition, the Conservation Board has been the assurance of the conservation of the monumental structure with the decision it has taken.
Upon a request of a static report from Sakarya University with a perspective that the building should be "demolished", the scientists have reported that "the structure should be strengthened; so that it is clearly understood that there is no architectural, technical and legal basis for "demolition claims". When it is understood that demolition cannot be carried out, a project containing some functions and additions which are incompatible with the identity value of the historical monument has been prepared and applied to the Regional Conservation Board of Cultural Assets No. 2.
The Board took a decision dated 24.12.2008 and numbered 2268 which conflict with its previous registration decision and saw no harm to approve the project as the “Transformation of AKM” contrary to the "conservation principles”.
At this stage, the decision which was clearly contrary to the law, conservation principles and architectural values, has been submitted to the jurisdiction by Kültür Sanat-Sen (Culture & Art Labor Union) in order for “suspension and cancellation of the execution" of the project approval.
9th Administrative Court took firstly to suspension of the execution decision and subsequently to cancellation decision on the date of 16.12.2010 on the grounds that "the Board did not comply with principle resolution, the original position of the monumental structure was not conserved and that there was no legal and legislative sensitivity in the process" and thus the conservation of AKM gained a judicial guarantee.
On December 20, 2009, in a meeting attended by the representatives of the Ministry, the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency and Metropolitan Municipality and the Chamber of Architects upon the invitation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it is decided that:
1. AKM will be restored in accordance with its original form,
2. The building will be secured against earthquake according to the report given by Sakarya University
thus; the conservation of the building has been taken into institutional assurance.
The restoration projects prepared immediately after the decision was submitted to the approval of the Regional Conservation Board of the Cultural Assets No. 2 and were approved. In January 2010, the necessary license was granted by Beyoğlu Municipality.
AKM must meet society again!
Despite all these guarantees, that the restoration works of AKM, which has a character of "the symbol of the Republic", were stopped in 2013 by the orders of the then Prime Minister R. T. Erdoğan and that the threats posed at different times to demolish the building are clear violations of the "law and Constitution".
The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, in line with their public responsibilities, are obliged to complete the proper restoration works of AKM and to ensure that the building is opened again as soon as possible. They have committed crime over 10 years by acting on unlawful instructions and refusing to fulfil their Constitutional responsibilities. If there is still some "independent judiciary" in Turkey, this unlawfulness must absolutely be resolved.
The building has faced damages because of the fact that the strengthening and restoration works were stopped in May 2013 and no measure was taken. Now, on the excuse of some damages occurred due to the irresponsibility of Public administrators in charge of protecting AKM, the demolition of AKM has come into agenda again during the state of emergency declared after July 15 “coup attempt”.
Consequently, the demand of "justice and democracy" for AKM is the common responsibility of all the social groups. During this debate and evaluation process, there are numerous benefits to remind that the efforts of the artists, the cultural people and the large social segments to protect the monumental structure are the real guarantees of the maintenance of its existence, carrying it into the future and its meeting with the society again…
