With its historical ambiance and striking modernist architecture, the Saraçhane Presidential Building has gone beyond its administrative purpose to serve as a custodian of Istanbul’s cultural memory. Designed by Nevzat Erol, who won first prize in the 1953 architectural competition, the building is recognized as one of the pioneers of the international style in Turkey. Its foundation was laid on December 17, 1953, by then-Governor and Mayor of Istanbul, Fahrettin Kerim Gökay. The building was completed in March 1960 and inaugurated on May 26, 1960.

Today, the Exhibition Hall located within the Saraçhane Presidential Building hosts exhibitions that make visible Istanbul’s social, artistic, and cultural memory. Notable exhibitions held in the gallery include “Fatih’s Renaissance,” “Ahmet İsvan: The People’s Mayor of Istanbul (1973–1977),” “Why Do Poets Paint?”, “IPA 4th Year in Service,” and “Istanbul’s Labor Memory: December 31, 1961, Saraçhane Workers’ Rally.”

Saraçhane Art Gallery continues to share Istanbul’s living memory with its visitors by merging traces of the past with today’s creative interpretations.

Address: İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanlığı, Kemalpaşa Mh. 15 Temmuz Şehitleri Cd. No:5, 34134 Fatih / İstanbul