Mattheys Mansion (Arkas Art)

Introduction

Mattheys Mansion was built in the late 18th century by English merchant John Maltass and is one of the oldest Levantine residences in Bornova. The property later passed to Maltass's daughter, Eugenie Wood, and the Wood family. Among its last long-term residents, Hortense Wood was an intellectual steeped in music and literature who had studied under Franz Liszt.

The "great house in Bornova" frequently mentioned in Hortense Wood's diary is the building known today as Mattheys Mansion.

Atatürk's Visit (16–17 September 1922)

Shortly after the liberation of İzmir on 9 September 1922, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, accompanied by İsmet İnönü, Fevzi Çakmak and Halide Edip Adıvar, stayed at Mattheys Mansion on 16–17 September 1922 and took important decisions there.

Hortense Wood records Atatürk's visit in her diary:

"I welcomed Mustafa Kemal and his companions. They were most courteous people. I told him that I admired him and congratulated him on his victories. Upstairs, beside the piano, the fate of the empire was being discussed."

These words reveal that the mansion was a place intertwined both with Levantine life and with some of the most critical moments of Republican history.

Architectural Features

• Date of construction: approximately 1780
• Extended in the mid-1800s to its present form.
• Stone ground floor with brick upper storey.
• Its broad arched entrance and front elevation draped in wisteria create an iconic image.
• At the entrance stand "pesulaki" stone benches, a characteristic feature of Levantine architecture.
• Interior plasterwork, cast-iron details, lofty ceilings and period furnishings have been preserved.
• The garden reflects an English-French landscape synthesis.

The Family and the Mansion's Life Cycle

The Wood family continued to reside in the mansion until the mid-20th century; Lucy Wood and Hortense Wood were the last representatives of the family line to inhabit the building. Mattheys Mansion is one of the rare Levantine buildings in Bornova to have remained in the same family until 2018.

Restoration and the Present – Arkas Art Bornova

Acquired by Arkas Holding in 2018, Mattheys Mansion underwent a five-year comprehensive restoration led by architect Seda Özen Bilgili.

The restoration process:

• The structural system was renewed
• Original architectural fabric was preserved
• Garden and landscaping were updated
• Museum infrastructure was established

In April 2023, the mansion opened to visitors as Arkas Art Bornova.

The museum displays

• The Lucien Arkas Carpet Collection
• Carpets produced in western and central Anatolia between the 16th and 19th centuries
• Distinguished examples of Mamluk, Uşak and Transylvanian carpets
• Scale models of Levantine mansions in the garden
• Mini-golf area, café and events space

Cultural Significance

Mattheys Mansion unites Bornova's historical memory along three important axes:
1. Levantine living culture
2. Witness to the founding days of the Republic (Atatürk's visit)
3. Carrying cultural heritage to the present through art and restoration

Today, the mansion is one of Bornova's most treasured heritage sites, serving as both a cultural and a historical focal point.

References:
– A Contemporary Museological Approach in İzmir Urban Folklore: The Case of Arkas Art – Fatma Tekin
– arkasarcademia.com