Aliberti (Wolf) Mansion

Introduction

An important example of Bornova's characteristic Levantine architecture, the Aliberti (Wolf) Mansion was built in the mid-19th century. Although accounts differ regarding its original occupants — the Wolf Brothers and the Paterson family — the mansion also hosted the La Fontaine family in the early 20th century. Passing to the Italian Aliberti family in the late 1950s, the building is still used by the same family as a private residence.

Description / History

• Although the mansion's precise date of construction is uncertain, according to Evelyn Lyle Kalcas it was built by the English Wolf Brothers after the Crimean War (1856).
• According to information conveyed by the Aliberti family, the building's first occupants were the Paterson family.
• In the early 20th century, the La Fontaine family also resided in the mansion.
• In the late 1950s, the property was purchased by the Italian Aliberti family and has continued in use as a dwelling.

Notable Features

• A characteristic example of the Levantine residential fabric
• Multi-layered occupancy history (Wolf–Paterson–La Fontaine–Aliberti)
• Illuminates the social life of 19th-century Bornova
• Original residential use preserved to the present day

According to Hümeyra Birol: "It is probable that the Wolfs, whose name appears in connection with more than one dwelling in the settlement, were builders rather than original occupants."

Reference: Hümeyra Birol (Spatial Identity of Levantine Mansions in Bornova and Buca in the 19th-Century Context of Westernisation)