Known as the first Art Nouveau building in Istanbul, the Botter Apartment has been revitalized as the “Casa Botter Art and Design Center” and added to the city’s cultural life following a comprehensive restoration project by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

The building was constructed in 1901 during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II for the Dutch court tailor and fashion designer Maison Jean Botter. The architect was the Italian Raimondo D’Aronco, who lived in Istanbul between 1893 and 1909 and designed many important buildings.

Casa Botter is known as the first building in the Ottoman Empire used as a fashion house. For many years, the Botter fashion house designed clothing for members of the palace and Ottoman aristocracy. However, following the Balkan Wars and World War I, interest in the fashion house waned. As a result, in 1917, the Botter family sold the apartment to Mahmut Nedim Bey, the son of Ottoman vizier Nedim Pasha, and moved to Paris.

Architecturally, the building’s most remarkable feature is its status as the first Art Nouveau structure in Istanbul. Characterized by curvilinear lines and floral motifs, this style defines the building’s unique identity.

The nine-story building was originally organized with the fashion house on the ground floor, a workshop on the first floor, and the upper floors as living quarters for the Botter family. There is also a terrace and a basement floor.

Thanks to restoration works carried out in 2021 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Department of Urban History and Promotion’s Heritage unit, Botter Apartment has regained its former glory and rejoined city life as Casa Botter.

Hosting various events and gatherings, the building has been welcoming art lovers with striking exhibitions since its reopening.