Ulus İşhanı

The shopping and office complex on the south-east side of Ulus Square, seven blocks set around two courtyards, came out of the competition the Pension Fund held between 10 August 1952 and 9 February 1953 for both the building and the square; first prize went to Orhan Bozkurt, Orhan Bolak and Gazanfer Beken. Construction began in 1955, the low blocks facing the courtyards opened in 1960 and the tall block was finished in 1963. With its aluminium frames, wide glass surfaces and prismatic masses it counts among the earliest examples of international modernism in Turkey; Kültür Envanteri calls it Ankara's answer to the effect of the Istanbul Hilton. Today the tall block houses the Youth and Sports Directorate and the low blocks serve as a bazaar.