It is one of the last examples of the grand European-type mansions seen in Istanbul during the late-19th century, with buildings such as the central building, auxiliary building, a stable possessing meticulous architecture and a carriage shed.
The first owner of this property was Auguste Huber who acquired the land upon which the structures and wooded area were erected from the Armenian Duzoglu and Tingiroglu families in 1890. As the Turkish representative of Mauser and Krupp, firms that sold weapons to the Ottomans at the end of the 19th century, Auguste Huber transformed the yali with the supplementary buildings he eventually had built into a mansion comprised of widened and elaborate structures. Having lived colorful days here, the Huber Family left Istanbul and returned to Germany after the Ottoman defeat in World War I and the imminent occupation of the capital. During the subsequent period, the Huber Ya11 was acquired by the previous Minister of Finance, Necmeddin Mona, who kept this it in his name until it was sold to Princess Kadriye, the granddaughter of the Egyptian Khedive, Ismail.
Necmeddin Mona. It wasn't long before the khedive dynasty gathered in Egypt, leaving Princess Kadriye no choice but to return home. Before departing Istanbul, she turned over the mansion to the School of Notre Dame de Sion o exchange for a symbolic fee; the structure served for some time as a French Catholic Girls' School. In 1973, the Huber Fall was acquired by a private company, which did not receive approval from the Supreme Board of Monuments to make changes here. It was appropriated by the state in 1985 and turned into the Presidential Summer Pavilion.
It's first owner, Auguste Huber was the Istanbul representative of the weapons broker, Mauser Fisek and Cologne Joint Gunpowder Factories; he went on to become the Istanbul representative of the famous Krupp firm. Although he dealt in the destructive weapons trade, Auguste Huber had a passion for nature and trees, Such was the case that ins name was always at the top of the list of the handful of people who strove to keep the Bosphorus shores green. It is said he, personally watered each and every tree found in the giant woods on its property. Also, quite fond of the arts, Auguste Huber decked out the huge Yali, garden with statues. Amongst these statues was a depletion, if his dog, evidence of Huber's love for the environment as well as animals. The mansion was host to some very ritzy receptions organized by the Huber Family, one of the prominent wealthy families of the era. Frequently in the Istanbul high-society headlines on up to the Ottoman defeat in World War I, the Hubers departed Istanbul during this time and returned to Germany. Subsequent to the passing of Auguste Huber, the family sold the mansion to Necmeddin Molla.
The structure's buildings were positioned atop an embankment raised five meters over the road by benefiting from the gradient difference between the ground and the road. This approximately 150-meter long wall was bolstered by buttresses placed every four meters. A monumental impression has been attained with the floor with classic stone balustrades placed over the embankment. This impression leaps out even more with the background formed by the woods in the rear. The guest house comprised of two building added to each other, the stable and carriage storage sections carefully positioned in the north, the depots and auxiliary buildings constitute the elements of a mansion within this background. Although the overall character of the structure is Art Nouveau, Arabic, Ottoman, Italian and French influences are also apparent.
The main structure is a wooden building with a belvedere featuring an onion-domed tower. During his final years in Istanbul, Auguste Huber hired the Italian architect Raimondo d'Aronco to build a three-story building on the south side connected to the main building via a bridge. After this structure was added, Huber hired d'Aronco to build the servants' quarters and stables. Positioned along a south-north axis, the main edifice is a voluminous, wooden structure built over a wood ashlar block basement. While the architect of this structure is unknown, d'Aronco is believed to have designed some structures that were added to the main building. There is a corner element in the south corner of the two-story structure that goes from an oval shape on the ground to a square-shape on the top floor. After the eave gradient, this section comes to an end with an onion-top dome and wide Baroque overhanging eaves. Differing from the other corner, there is a circular planned corner indention on the second floor of the south corner of the façade.
The striking shapes indicate the diversity of the architectural elements on the structure's façade. The upper parts of the shaped windows of the French balcony were crafted with caged horseshoes or eyebrow vaults with engraved wooden shutters. Meaning `salvation' in Italian, the phrase 'Salve' is seen on the right edge of the roof on the façade of the yah overlooking the woods. The ground floor features a classic layout with chambers situated on two sides and a large hall in the middle. The second floor opens into a large central hall with galleries surrounding the edges. The top of this large hall is embellished with geometric stained-glass windows. The building that Huber added later on was another of d'Aronco's monumental designs. Sitting on a rectangular piece of land, this 17 x 7 m. three-story building dates back to 1905-06. Built with a combined construction technique that utilized stone for the south facade and first floor over an ashlar block basement, and wood in the other sections, it harmonizes with the main building while achieving a monumental appearance for the south façade. There is an outdoor terrace measuring 10 x 4 m. on the façade overlooking the Bosphorus. The carriage shed, stables and secondary structures built for the hired help are situated to the north of the central structure.
The rather large stable and carriage shed are indications of the esteem Madame Huber placed on her horses. When it regained its function in 1985, the building featured high, illuminated sections on the sides, with a gallery in the middle; the floors on either end with a high ground floor had lost their original plan and interior space. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest factors of the impressive appearance of the MI and other buildings is the giant woods on the premises. Groups of statues embellish the woods of the mansion which represents one of the most important green spaces of the Bosphorus. The sculptors of this historically unique group of statues are unknowns One of the most important sculpture examples of Istanbul is the fountain in the garden of the woods' first embankment in the s1uiWe of a woman giving water to children from her palm. Currently utilized as the Presidential Summer Pavilion, this beautiful structure possesses rightful esteem on the Bosphorus with its architecture and a green wooded area that allows the Bosphorus to breathe.
