Galata Greek School

Audio Narration:

Construction Year:

1885

Location:

Beyoğlu, İstanbul

Ordered By:

Eleni Zarifi

Architect:

Patroklos Kambanakis and Stavros Hristidis

Changes After Construction:
  • Constructed in the Neoclassical-Eclectic architectural style of its period, the school began to be used for educational purposes in 1910.
  • Transferred to the Treasury in 1927, the building was returned in 2012 by the General Directorate of Foundations to the Galata Greek Primary Education Foundation.
  • During the main road widening works in 1958, the street level in front of the building’s façade was lowered to its present level.
  • The building, whose educational use ended in 2015, is currently used for cultural and artistic activities by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV).
  • It was renewed through restoration works carried out between 2019 and 2023.
Prominent Features:
  • The institution is also known in its historical context by the names Private Karaköy Greek Kindergarten and Primary School and Galata Private Greek Primary School.
  • Located in Galata, Istanbul’s commercial and financial center, the school was commissioned after the land was purchased in 1853 by Eleni Zarifi of the Levantine Zarifi family.