Kurşunlu Mahzen Pavillion

Situated in Karaköy, at the current location of the General Directorate of Health for Borders and Coastal Areas, Kurşunlu Mahzen Pavillion was commissioned by Grand Vizier Şehid Ali Pasha (d. 1716) in 1716. Having survived a fire in early 1819, it was restored by Grand Vizier Derviş Mehmed Pasha (d. 1837) and in 1821-22, a government agency was established in the adjoining premises to supervise the ships entering and leaving the port. Its name meaning “The laded underground storeroom” derivates from the Byzantine tower (Kastellion ton Galatou) where was attached the chain defending the entry of the Golden Horn, and on which the tower is built. As one of the least recognized imperial pavilions in İstanbul, the exterior of this structure is identified through the lithographs of Baker and Lewis (1813 and 1824, respectively), a drawing of Meyer (1824) and a photograph by Robertson (1854). It is certain that the structure, which has a layout that resembles a cross, is designed as a divanhane (large audience hall) with a central anteroom and four liwans. Originally built as a waterside residence, the pavillion is set on a tall masonry wall; the liwans located on sea and back elevations feature oriels supported by long and curved angle braces. The timber lining on the angle braces of the seaside oriel resembles the façade of the Osman III Pavillion (1754) at the Topkapı Palace. The façades are surrounded all around with rectangular windows and the sections above and below the windows are overlaid with veneer. In this respect, it can be said that along with the Amcazade Seaside Mansion, Kurşunlu Mahzen Pavillion has been a source of inspiration for S. H. Eldem’s Şark Kahvesi (Oriental Coffee Parlour) in Taşlık.