Yellow Mansion (Ege University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Dean's Office)

Built in the early 20th century as a Levantine residence belonging to British Harwey, the Yellow Mansion was expropriated in the mid-1920s for the Izmir Agricultural District School. The mansion hosted Ataturk during his 1926 visit and is home to Turkey's first Ataturk bust. Today it serves as the Ege University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Dean's Office.

Introduction

Standing opposite Bornova Railway Station, the Yellow Mansion was built in the early 20th century as a residence by the English-origin Harwey family. Together with the Green Mansion in Bornova and several neighbouring Levantine residences, it forms part of the characteristic settlement fabric of the period.

History and Use

1924–1925: Compulsorily purchased from the Harwey family and placed at the disposal of the İzmir Regional Agricultural School.
1933: The Agricultural School Directorate operated from this mansion until the school's new building was completed.
1926: Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visited the mansion on 18 June; to commemorate this visit, a bust by the Austrian sculptor Heinrich Krippel was placed in the garden. This work holds the distinction of being the first Atatürk monument in Turkey.
Post-1955: With the founding of Ege University, the mansion was transferred to the university; in its early years it served as a guesthouse and later as the Faculty of Agriculture Social Club.
Present day: As of 2025 it serves as the Ege University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Deanery.

Architectural Features

The building takes its name from its yellow-rendered façade; it has a stone ground floor and brick upper storey.
It reflects the typical late Levantine residential sensibility with its spacious halls, high ceilings and elegant plaster ornamentation.
An oval pool and monumental planting are found in the garden.
The Atatürk bust in the garden is an original work bearing the Krippel signature.
During restorations the building's form was preserved; only the interior was repurposed for educational use.