Most residents would jump for joy if a parking lot and a hideous office building at the historical heart of their city were slated to be replaced by a cultural center designed by a celebrated architect. They would be even happier if private donors had agreed to pick up the tab to the tune of some $150 million, sparing the pocketbooks of the city's taxpayers. Alas, this is not so in Istanbul.
In 2008, the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul (IBB) approved a project to build a theater and a concert hall designed by the renowned architect Frank Gehry, but soon thereafter reversed its decision. No one knows why. Some of Gehry’s plans survive in press reports and on the IBB's website, but the project had otherwise disappeared from the public eye.
