Alexandre Vallaury - Architect

Photo: WOW Turkey

Alexandre Vallaury was born into a Levantine family in İstanbul in 1850.  Apart from the years he spent on architecture education in Paris, he lived in İstanbul for the rest of his life.

His father, Francesco Vallaury, was a famous pastry-cook, respected much in the Ottoman Palaces.  Alexandre Vallaury studied architecture at  Paris Ecole Nationale Superieure  des Beaux-Arts between 1869 and 1878.

After returning to Istanbul, he met Osman Hamdi Bey in early 1880s. Then the two artists mutually worked in the fields of architecture, museum studies and education.  

The first School of Fine Arts (former Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi, now Mimar Sinan University) was founded in 1882. Alexandre Vallaury was the founder and the first instructor of Architecture department of this school. He lectured for 25 years until his retirement.  He was awarded many medals and prizes with French and Ottoman governments including French order Légion d’Honneur (1896).

Vallaury combined  the traditional Ottoman culture with the elements of West in his  designs . He was among the leading intellectuals of Ottoman Empire of his period. He died in Istanbul in 1921 at the age of 71.

Alexandre Vallaury was the architect of some of Istanbul’s most famous structures:
The Main (Old) Building of Istanbul Archeology Museum: The exterior walls were designed inspired by Alexandre the Great’s Tomb and Crying Women Tomb, which are two most precious pieces in the museum.

Büyükada Rum (Greek) Orphanage: Built as a hotel and is claimed to be the largest wooden building on earth.

Afif Paşa Yalısı (waterfront house): Istinye- The Bosphorus

Ottoman Bank Building, Galata: famous for its two-façade design (one neoclassical, other more oriental). It now belongs to Garanti Bank and includes a museum.

Haydarpaşa Lisesi (former Haydarpaşa High School, now is serving as Marmara University Faculty of Medicine and Law)

Istanbul Lisesi (aka Istanbul Erkek Lisesi - High School), Cağaloğlu

Pera Palas Hotel – The first European style Hotel in Istanbul.

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