Abandoned Buildings of Istanbul – Data Gathering – The GPIH

THE GRAND PRESTIGE ISTANBUL HOTEL

The GPIH seen from the Taraby Bayıarı Avenue. Photo by Joao Cruz Neves.

During the 90’s, Uran Holding started the construction of the Grand Prestige Istanbul Hotel (GPIH) in the area of Hacıosman, on the top of the hills of the Tarabya neighborhood, over the European Bosphorus side.

If it had been finished, this 21 store building would be one of the most luxurious and exclusive hotels in the city. Standing at high grounds, the views for the customers would have been amazing, overviewing the beautiful historical canal, its mouth towards the Black Sea and the sprawling city at its feet.

In 1995 the company’s owner was killed in a shooting incident and after a complaint due to possible illegal aspects of the project, the construction was put on hold until today.

With almost 100m height, the construction stands out massively from the low rise buildings and the delicate forests around. It’s not hard to understand why the construction was stopped, such is the contrast of its presence with the surroundings.

Aspect of the GPIH today. Photo by Joao Cruz Neves.

Aspect of the GPIH seen from the Hacıosman Atatürk Şehir Parkı. Photo by Joao Cruz Neves.

(For more details on the affairs of the GPIH you can follow link 1 and link 2. You can read in Turkish or use Google’s automatic translation for English)

Through the years, the public authorities, mostly the municipal government of Sariyer, have tried without success, to give a destiny to this decaying structure.

Check our SMALL REVOLUTIONS section and read The Life of Abandoned Buildings – The Hacıosman – A Case Study article, proposing to bring new life to this forgotten structure.