A Little-known Building of Demirtaş Kamçıl and Rahmi Bediz: (Übeyde) Elli Apartment

Abstract

In architectural historiography, the architectural heritage of Ankara has often been discussed based on the buildings of the Early Republican Era, dated between 1920 and 1950. Meanwhile, the buildings that represent mid-century modern architecture and were designed between the years 1950 and 1980 have usually been left out of this narrative. While in recent years there has been an increase in the number of studies focusing on this period, one can also say that this researches is still not sufficient to allow us to understand this era, which marks a critical change in Turkey political, economic and social life. Demirtaş Kamçıl and Rahmi Bediz were prominent architects who played a major role in the ‘re-building of Ankara’ between 1950 and 1980. During this period, Kamçıl and Bediz realized several invaluable projects to different scales and functions varying from housing design to museums, from shopping centers to office spaces, and from cinemas to shopping arcades. Within this variety of projects, Übeyde Elli Apartment appears as a little-known and rarely remembered project of Kamçıl and Bediz as a team. Another important aspect of this building is its owner Ubeyde Elli, an important female parliamentarian from the 1950s. In that context, this study, by bringing together architectural drawings, photographs from family albums and oral-history notes, seeks to ‘remember’ this project, which was destroyed a few years ago. Through the Ubeyde Elli Apartment project, one has the chance to understand the changing architectural trends after World War II, the role of Kamçıl and Bediz as a team within this ‘reconstruction’ process, the persona of Ubeyde Elli, and most importantly how her image matches up with the wohnkultur of the apartment.

Keywords

• Ankara
• Architecture
• Mid-century modern
• Demirtaş Kamçıl
• Rahmi Bediz
• Übeyde Elli