Historic Buildings
Discover Bornova's past through its architectural heritage spanning from mansions to public buildings, mosques and churches.
Commissioned in 1865 by James Whittall for his daughter Jane and son-in-law Richard Wilkinson, Consul of Thessaloniki-Malaga-Manila, the mansion is one of Bornova's most distinguished Levantine buildings. Owned by the Wilkinson Family until 1985, the building was transferred to Ege University in 1997, restored in 2005, and named the "EU 50th Anniversary Mansion." Today it houses the EU Faculty of Fine Arts, Design, and Architecture.
One of Bornova's early education and public buildings, the Varipati Mansion was used as the Varipati Family's residence in the early 20th century. After hosting the Bornova Middle School from 1936 onward, the mansion currently serves as one of the service buildings of the Bornova Veterinary Control Institute.
The Tristram Mansion was built in 1904 by the British Tristram Family. One of the family's notable members is Uvedale Barrington Tristram (1826-1898).
Thought to have been built by a Greek family in the late 19th century, the Sirkehane served as the food production unit of Ege University Faculty of Agriculture throughout the 20th century. After restoration completed in 2010, the building was opened as the "EU Balkans and Anatolia Costumes Museum," making it the first museum established in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture within a university in Turkey.
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.
Built in the last quarter of the 19th century, the R. Whittall Mansion is the second largest residence of the Whittall family in Bornova. Known as the "Small House," the building is one of the distinctive representatives of British Levantine architecture in Bornova, with its simple facade design, garden-oriented plan layout, and wide windows. Today it serves as the Bornova District Directorate of National Education.
Built by Fondan d'Escalon, who settled in Bornova after the French Revolution, the Pierre Pagy Mansion passed through the La Fontaine, Whittall, and Giraud families to the Pagy Family through marriage and property transfers. Currently owned by the Fercken and Arkas families, descendants of Pagy, the mansion is an elegant representative of French Levantine heritage in Bornova.
Thought to have been built in the 1880s, the Maltass (Topuz) Mansion is located on Bornova's 83rd Street, across from the Charnaud, De Andria, and Fernand Pagy mansions. Its first owner was the Marre Family, followed by the Maltass and Topuz Families. Restored by Aziz Kocaoglu in the 2000s, the building is currently used by the BAYETAV Foundation.
Located across from St. Mary Magdalene Church, the La Fontaine Mansion was built in the late 19th century by British-origin James La Fontaine (1881-1930). The grandson of Charlton Whittall, owner of the Big House, through his daughter Blanche Magdalene Whittall, La Fontaine is known as the person who established the league system in Turkish football. The mansion today serves as the Ege University Ataturk Principles and Revolution History Center.
Located next to the Big House grounds, the House with the Well was the center of Levantine social life in Bornova in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known as the "English Club." Its first owner was James La Fontaine. Transferred to Ege University in 1966, the building was restored in 2015 and today serves as the International Relations Coordination Office.
Built in the late 19th century, the building was used as the residence of the La Fontaine Family for a period. In the 1960s and 70s, it served as an orphanage and School for the Blind. Today it has been restored in keeping with its historical character and operates as a private school.
Located at the entrance of Fevzi Cakmak Avenue toward Ankara Avenue, the building was constructed in the 1860s for Bornova Train Station employees. The deteriorating building was faithfully restored by Kemal Aktuglu in 2015. According to tradition, meals were prepared in this house during Ataturk's visits to Bornova.
