Identification of historical houses in Susuz Dede Park, Göztepe, Izmir

Abstract

Correct interpretation of archaeological and natural sites comprehending architectural heritage and located in dense urban layout necessitate understanding of their authentic characteristics and possibilities for their presentation rather than proposing independent development strategies. This study takes into consideration an extensively transformed historical district in the metropolitan city of İzmir: Göztepe at the south-west of the city centre. Göztepe had emerged as a new settlement in the late 19th early 20th centuries. There are a twenty seven historical houses in the district among which three derelict ones deserve special attention. The rest have been damaged as a result of an extensive urban transformation. The study focuses on the three derelict houses within the boundaries of an archaeological and natural site known as Susuz Dede Park in the district. The houses forming a group in the park are in an extensively ruined state and under the restoration program of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. At the same time, this study makes a preliminary survey of the whole of the historical houses in Göztepe both in order to support understanding of the three houses in Susuz Dede Park and fulfill a gap in literature. So, the purpose of this study is the examination of the present state of the derelict historical houses in Susuz Dede Park, Göztepe, İzmir; and identification of their heritage characteristics together with the whole of the historical houses in the district. The scaled drawings of the buildings were prepared by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Environmental Conservation and Control in 2004. These documents were revised taking site observations and photographic documentation into consideration. Thematic mapping technique was used to identify characteristics of the cases. Historical research and comparative study were carried out to develop restitution hypothesis. Site surveys were made to decipher the twenty four historical houses. It is concluded that the three historical houses in Susuz Dede Park are valuable as a group and development of Susuz Dede Park cannot be considered independent from this cultural heritage. Secondly, the other twenty four historical houses in the district should be sustained as a whole, since they are document the emergence of Göztepe.