Ankara Metropolitan Municipality is rapidly continuing its “Anafartalar Avenue Street Rehabilitation and Urban Design” project.
Renovation works of 25 out of 117 buildings, 65 of which are registered, on Anafartalar Street have been completed and restored to their original appearance. Restoration and conservation works have been completed in 8 registered buildings.
Home to the first multi-story and reinforced concrete buildings of Ankara, Anafartalar Street is being renovated in order to bring together the traces of the past with the present. Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, which aims to make Ulus Historical City Center one of the important symbols of the business world and tourism, continues its “Street Rehabilitation and Urban Design” works on Anafartalar Street. The project, planned to be completed by the end of 2025, will give the region a modern identity with its historical and cultural texture.
“WE ARE PRESERVING THE FOUNDATION HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC”
Bekir Ödemiş, Project Coordinator of the Department of Cultural and Natural Assets, shared the following information about the work they carried out on the approximately 1400-meter-long Anafartalar Street:
“We have completed the restoration and conservation processes of our 65 buildings. 65 of these 8 structures are registered. We are not doing an ordinary restoration or conservation work here. We are renewing the foundation history of a Republic, a country, a capital. The country, the Republic was founded here, Ankara was declared the capital here. One of the most important centers of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s modernization process is Anafartalar Street. The reinforced concrete multi-storey buildings of the Republic were first built here. In the past years, the Child Protection Agency, the courthouse, the municipality building were here. In other words, the state is here. In fact, we are not protecting a structure or a street, we are protecting the foundation history of the Republic. Our work, especially on registered structures, continues meticulously.”
PLANNED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 2025
Ödemiş, who stated that they planned to complete the works by the end of 2025, said, “Within the scope of the project, we carried out a 5 square meter roof renovation and a 100 square meter urban design landscape project. We also completed a 10 square meter display window renovation project. The pavement arrangements, urban design arrangements and lighting works we carried out were designed in a way that was in line with the historical identity and cultural heritage understanding of this place.”
Ödemiş said that they left a tram route as a reserve area while preparing the project and added that they processed the historical stories of the buildings into the building tags within the scope of the Memory Ankara Project.
GAINING A MODERN IDENTITY WHILE PRESERVING THE HISTORICAL TEXTURE
The works carried out by the Department of Cultural and Natural Assets aim to protect the cultural heritage on Anafartalar Street, eliminate visual pollution and ensure visual integrity. In this context, the facade renovation works of 25 of the 117 buildings on the street, including 65 registered buildings, have been completed.
While the restoration and conservation of registered buildings is carried out in accordance with today's conditions and the original structure of the period, roof, facade, display window and landscaping works continue in order to restore the original appearance of unregistered buildings. In addition, the windows needed in the buildings are also being renewed within the scope of the project.
SIGNS WERE REMOVED, AESTHETICS AND ORDER WERE PROVIDED
Signs on the facades of buildings on the street and in commercial areas on the ground floors that caused visual pollution were removed and replaced with uniform illuminated box letter signs to ensure integrity. The joinery, automatic awnings and shutters of the shops were renewed and given a modern look.
PAVEMENTS WERE STRENGTHENED WITH BABA CURBS
Within the scope of the renovation works carried out on the ground of Anafartalar Street, the pavements are being renewed with basalt and granite stones. In order to solve the pedestrian safety and urban aesthetic problems that arise due to the heavy traffic flow, “Ankara Heritage” and “Ankara Metropolitan Municipality” logoed bollards were placed. Infrastructure works for the renewal of street lighting are also ongoing.
