Istanbul's historical Greek orphanage, known as Europe's largest and world’s second-largest timber building, is set to be salvaged after decades of involuntary disuse that has left the edifice almost in ruins. Experts, meanwhile, warn that ongoing restoration efforts are still far from reassuring.

Preliminary work to salvage the 123-year-old building, an edifice situated on a hilltop on the island of Buyukada off the coast of Istanbul, began earlier this year through the coordination of the Istanbul municipality and Ecumenical Patriarchate, the owner of the site. In May, a construction company run by the Istanbul municipality reproduced the visual image of the structure mapping the current condition of the building and analyzing the damages. The survey will serve as a groundwork for the restoration project. 

Yet the historical edifice’s salvage is far from sealed as the restoration process seems to be fraught with several uncertainties. 

The landmark building was designed by Levantine architect Alexandre Vallaury and built in 1898 on Buyukada, the largest of Istanbul’s nine Princes’ Islands, originally to serve as a casino and hotel complex. After Ottoman authorities refused to issue an operation permit to the hotel, a Greek philanthropist purchased the building and donated it to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1903 to function as an orphanage. The orphanage housed more than 5,000 children before falling into desuetude in 1964.