Historical Samsun mansion transformed into Book Cafe

SAMSUN

Following the restoration, the mansion has been opened as a Book Cafe, offering spaces for reading and studying as well as cafe services. (AA Photo)

A historical mansion that had remained unused for nearly 30 years in the northern province of Samsun’s Alaçam district has been restored and opened to the public as a Book Cafe.

The two-story historical mansion, located in the Çeşme neighborhood, is among the district’s surviving examples of traditional civil architecture.

After remaining unused for nearly 30 years, the building was expropriated by Samsun Governor’s Office at the initiative of Alaçam Municipality. Restoration work began last year, with efforts focused on preserving its historical character.

Following the completion of the restoration, the mansion was opened as a Book Cafe, offering spaces for reading and studying as well as cafe services.

Various items reflecting the building’s historical character are also displayed inside.

Alaçam District Governor Fatih Kayabaşı told Anadolu Agency that restoring buildings in accordance with their historical character requires considerable effort.

Noting that Alaçam bears traces of the population exchange period between Türkiye and Greece, Kayabaşı said the district is also home to what he described as Türkiye’s only population exchange museum, operated by the Samsun Metropolitan Municipality.

“With our mansions, museum and other historical buildings, we hope to create a cultural destination in Alaçam. We believe this will be one of the important building blocks of that cultural destination,” he said.

Alaçam Mayor Ramazan Özdemir said the district is home to numerous registered historical buildings. He said the Book Cafe project was launched both to serve residents and preserve the area’s historical character.

Emphasizing that the existing architecture was preserved during the restoration, Özdemir said the mansion was the first historical mansion in Alaçam to be restored.

“In addition to the Book Cafe, we are continuing work on another mansion. We also have files concerning 93 registered buildings in the district awaiting investment from the Culture and Tourism Ministry,” he said.

Özdemir added that work was continuing to give the district a historical appearance inspired by Safranbolu architecture.

“We want to save all the historical buildings in our district from disappearing and bring them into tourism and contribute them to our region and our country,” he said.