Starting from the second half of the 18th century, the mansion belonging to the Kâtipzade family, which took control of the administration of İzmir, was located where the present-day İzmir Government Mansion stands. The wooden mansion, used both as a residence and an administrative center, was a three-story structure with bay windows.
During the reign of Mahmud II, in line with the centralization policies initiated in the Ottoman Empire, the âyan families that had taken control of provincial administration were eliminated. New administrators were appointed from the capital, İstanbul, to replace them and establish central authority. Within this scope, the Kâtipzade family was also removed from power in İzmir. The mansion where the family resided began to be used as the governor’s building in 1819. However, the building suffered severe damage in the earthquake of 1847, rendering it substantially unusable, and efforts were initiated for the construction of a new governor’s building.
Kâtipzade family was removed from İzmir’s administration, but later generations of the family played significant roles in the city’s commercial life and the politics of the Republican era. Notably, the late Adnan Menderes, who served as Prime Minister of Türkiye between 1950 and 1960, was a member of the Kâtipzade family. His father, İbrahim Ethem Kâtipzade, studied law in İstanbul and worked as a clerk in the İzmir province at a location where the family mansion once stood.
İzmir Governor Mehmet Sabri Paşa commissioned architect-engineer Roch Vitali to draft the plans in 1867. After receiving approval from the capital, construction began in 1869, and the new government mansion was inaugurated in 1876. Since then, the building has undergone various renovations over time. However, it suffered severe damage in a fire in 1970 and was reconstructed in accordance with its original design. Most recently, in 2017, a comprehensive restoration project was carried out on the building.
For over 250 years, Konak has been the administrative center of İzmir. The transformation of the wooden mansion belonging to the Kâtipzade family into a stone-built government mansion was not merely the construction of a new building; it was also the most significant reflection of the Ottoman Empire’s modernization efforts in İzmir. In other words, the presence of a modern state in İzmir became tangible with the Government Mansion. Konak has left such a profound mark on the city’s memory that the area continues to be known as Konak Square today, and the district of Konak also derives its name from it.
On September 9, 1922, Captain Şerafettin and his soldiers entered the İzmir Government Mansion, immediately went up to the first floor, and took down the Greek flag from the balcony, raising the Turkish flag in its place. This historic moment, immortalized in a photograph, symbolized İzmir’s liberation and the victory of the National Struggle, announcing it to the entire world.