The historic Kasımpaşa Military Naval Hospital, which has provided care for wounded soldiers after serving as a military training facility for the Ottoman Navy, is set to reopen for the Turkish Navy following a comprehensive restoration. For approximately five years, the hospital has been an extension of Professor Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital.
Known as the "first building with a clock tower" from the reign of Sultan Mahmud II, the hospital was constructed in 1838 by architect Adam Tahtaciyan as the Bahriye Mektebi (Naval School) to serve the Ottoman Navy. The building provided military education for Ottoman soldiers for 13 years, and after the Naval School's relocation to Heybeliada in 1851, it was transformed into the Bahriye Merkez Hastanesi (Naval Central Hospital) in 1853, serving solely as a hospital.
Throughout its history, the hospital treated many wounded officers, noncommissioned officers and soldiers, particularly during significant conflicts such as the Crimean War and World War I, where it played a vital role in caring for injured soldiers returning from the battlefield.
After the naval base and fleet moved to Gölcük in 1929 and the hospital followed suit in 1931, the Kasımpaşa building served as barracks and a dormitory for the Naval Trainees' Training Battalion. The building on the Hasköy side was allocated to the Naval Radio School, while the tower building remained unused.
Due to inadequate conditions in Gölcük, a decision was made to return to Istanbul in 1934. However, the vacant tower building deteriorated and underwent a comprehensive renovation from 1937 to 1939. Over the following years, the building was continuously modified to meet evolving needs.
The most recent structural changes to the hospital facilities occurred in 2003, involving the demolition and renewal of the operating room and X-ray sections on the Kasımpaşa side.
The hospital, which has changed names multiple times throughout its history, first known as the Bahriye Mektebi, then the Bahriye Merkez Hastanesi, and later the Kasımpaşa Deniz Hastanesi (Kasımpaşa Naval Hospital) was renamed Kasımpaşa Asker Hastanesi (Kasımpaşa Military Hospital) in 2005. In 2016, it was transferred to the Ministry of Health and became an extension of Professor Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital.
In 2021, the Ministry of National Defense took over the approximately 20,000 square meter area for use as the headquarters of the Northern Sea Command. Restoration efforts were initiated by the Istanbul Governor's Investment Monitoring and Coordination Directorate.
As part of the first phase of the restoration, architectural projects for the H-block were developed, which will serve as the soldiers' dormitory and dining hall. Renovation work was completed, and the H-block was handed over to the Northern Sea Command in June 2023.
Restoration work is currently underway for the D-block, designated as the Northern Sea Command headquarters, and the B-block, set to serve as the Command Support Troops Headquarters.
Project Manager Serdar Sarıgül noted that the first phase involved completing the renovation of the H-block, which accommodates 300 personnel, along with the rear technical and band command buildings. The restoration plans for these structures have been approved by the Cultural Heritage Protection Board, and the work was finalized within one year to facilitate the soldiers' relocation.
The D-block, with a footprint of 2,300 square meters and a closed area of 9,100 square meters, will serve as the main building for the Northern Sea Command. The B-block has a footprint of 900 square meters and a closed area of 2,700 square meters. Sarıgül also mentioned the discovery of a late 19th-century hamam (Turkish bath) near the B-block, which is intended to be converted into a library or museum.
As part of the second phase, restoration plans for the D-block were approved in June 2023, with plans for the B-block and hammam to follow in March 2024. Currently, work on the D-block is about 95% complete, while the B-block and hammam are approximately 80% finished. The goal is to prepare the entire area for handover to the Northern Sea Command by the end of this year.
Sarıgül emphasized that the restoration aligns with the Northern Sea Command's functional needs, noting that original elements of the building, such as columns and capitals, had been obscured but were uncovered during the initial restoration efforts. To enhance earthquake resistance, around 300 tons of steel reinforcements were added, and various flooring reinforcements were completed. As the restoration of the D-block nears completion, minor finishing touches are being applied, including restoring the original stonework that had been covered with plaster and paint over the years.
