Belveder: An Istanbul Apartment Built of Art,
Light and Rumour
When I returned to the neighborhood years after pacing its streets countless times in my hometown, this refined building drew my eye for the first time because of its understated Art Nouveau lines, an architectural style which I adore. Despite its architectural presence, I knew surprisingly little about its role in Turkish architecture, its political associations, or its place in contemporary popular culture. What stopped me that day was simply its beauty.
For anyone researching Turkish Modernism, Teşvikiye functions almost like an open-air archive.
Following the State being moved to Dolmabahçe Palace in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the area opened to development. High-ranking officials, military officers, and members of the court sought residences near the palace, prompting Istanbul’s elite to shift gradually from Pera toward the Teşvikiye–Nişantaşı–Maçka axis. Oral history even suggests that the neighborhood took the name “Teşvikiye” (“place of encouragement”) because Sultan Abdülmecid personally encouraged state officials to settle here.
Belveder Apartment is one of the early-20th-century structures that helped define Teşvikiye’s notion of the “modern apartment.” Some architectural sources list it alongside the Apartments “Ispilandit” (a localized nod to “Splendid”) and the “Modern” as part of Teşvikiye Street’s trio of “striking” historic buildings. It is undeniably one of the structures that shaped the elegant character of the Teşvikiye–Nişantaşı corridor. Today, it is also registered in the cultural inventory, securing its role in the city’s collective memory.
According to the Pervititch Map, a wooden mansion surrounded by a garden once stood where Belveder is today. The current building was constructed in the 1930s by two major figures of Turkish architecture, Doğan Tekeli and Sami Sisa, founders of the legendary Tekeli-Sisa Architectural Partnership.
The building carries a quiet dignity. Its restrained interpretation of Art Nouveau hints at an earlier Istanbul, and there is a certain whisper of mystery in the air—an energy you feel long before you know anything about its history.
Seeing the name “Belveder” on its façade—until then familiar to me only from Vienna’s famous palace (and a namesake Viennese wafer brand that I looove <3- Manner, you know how to make me happy 😊 )—sparks an even deeper curiosity within me. Above the door, I notice a relief plaque with the initials HFB (or perhaps HEB). Assuming the “B” might stand for Belveder, I wonder what lives the building had witnessed, what stories its walls might hide. I take a photo, thinking I would look into it later.
If you have been to Vienna, you will know the reference well. The city’s famed Belvedere Palace—one of Europe’s most celebrated Baroque ensembles—is a cultural symbol in its own right.
Although the name initially brings The Palace (and those delicious wafers 😊) to my mind, the initials above the apartment door convinces me that Belveder must have been chosen deliberately.
Later, my research confirms that the building indeed took its name from Vienna—one of the era’s most admired European capitals. What makes Belveder even more intriguing, however, are the small urban legends that have accumulated around it over the years.
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For decades, Belveder was considered one of Teşvikiye’s most prestigious addresses.
Although there is no definitive record of its notable residents, mentions of “distinguished families, artists, journalists” consistently surface in recollections. The exterior may project calmness, but accounts suggest that those who once passed through its doors led far less quiet lives.
And then there is the love story—whispered through Teşvikiye for years.
Belveder is said to be one of the discreet meeting points of Adnan Menderes (the then-Prime Minister of Turkiye) and Suzan Sözen (a novelist/poet and the pioneer of erotic literature in Turkiye).
Some sources refer to as “Belveder Palas.” Others recall black cars waiting outside.
Suzan Sözen was a writer who drew attention in Istanbul’s intellectual circles of the 1950s and 60s with both her novels and striking presence. Former minister, writer, and consultant for the TV series Hatırla Sevgili, Yılmaz Karakoyunlu, spoke about Sözen in an interview, highlighting her emotional depth, elegance, and unique charm that left a mark on the literary and political world of the era:
“She was a woman with navy blue eyes. I saw her once in Maçka. On a June day, at the hour when the sun was strongest, her eyes were as blue as the sky, and when night fell, they were as dark as navy. She was very beautiful. She liked to subtly show a hint of cleavage. Rather than giving off a sexy vibe, she was a calm storm of sensuality. She had very beautiful shoulders. She resembled Dorothy Lamour…” *
(*This description appears in Karakoyunlu’s interview with journlist Buket Aşçı. Because of her resemblance, Suzan Sözen was popularly likened to Dorothy Lamour at the time. However, some sources attribute the original description to poet Orhan Veli, who lived during the same period.)
Adnan Menderes was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1950 to 1960, guiding the country through rapid modernization and major political change. A center-right, liberal-conservative leader, he promoted economic liberalization, private enterprise. Ideologically, he sought a blend of Western-style modernization with traditional Turkish-Islamic values, appealing to rural populations and the emerging middle class. He remains a key yet controversial figure, criticized in his later years for increasing authoritarian measures, press restrictions, and limiting opposition voices. (His political journey ended after 60’s coup d’état, overthrowing his government. Menderes, along with other Democrat Party leaders, was arrested and tried on Yassıada for charges including abuse of power, violations of the constitution, and corruption
The story goes further: the two reportedly devised a clandestine communication system using the laundry line on the rear balcony of the 4th floor, Mrs. Sözen’s residence.
White underwear meant: “No one’s home; you can come.”
Yellow: “Be patient; the coast will be clear soon.”
Green: “The door is open; you’re expected.”
Red signalled danger: Mrs. Sözen’s husband was home—and, according to rumor, fully aware of the affair yet unwilling to jeopardize his position by confronting it.
Some say the building took on an even more intriguing atmosphere after dark—meetings, whispers, small scandals of the era.
Another oft-told rumor claims that shortly before the 1960 coup which brought Menderes’ end, Menderes sent Sözen a bag of money; that she either wasn’t home, or was too afraid to accept it—and that the bag ended up in the hands of the apartment’s doorman, who, in one version of the tale, later became a prominent businessman.
It is impossible to verify most of these stories.
They live on because neighbourhoods—especially old Istanbul neighbourhoods—thrive on mythmaking.
A building stands not only through concrete and stone, but through memory. (Afterall, if abandoned buildings deteriorate, it is partly because time erodes them—but also because there is no one remained to breathe life into it.)
Fun fact: The Belveder’s popularity still persists today; it is one of the most frequented filming locations, having hosted many popular Turkish TV series such as Cesur ve Güzel, Ufak Tefek Cinayetler, and İstanbullu Gelin.
The Belveder Apartment is one such place.
Part historical fact, part Istanbul romance.
A location where certainties and legends coexist—reminding us that every corner of the city is, in essence, a story.
So next time you walk past Belveder, offer a small nod.
One of the stories embedded in its walls might just wink back
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