It is possible to consider Kordon as a Western-style public space. Entertainment venues have held a significant place within this sense of publicness. Businesspeople, primarily Europeans, who were active in İzmir’s commercial life at the time, as well as notable figures of the city, spent their evenings after working hours at entertainment venues such as cafés, clubs, and beer houses located in Kordon. Visitors to İzmir remarked that the entertainment venues in Kordon were on par with their European counterparts. Some of these visitors even described Kordon of that era as a “Little Paris.”
While Kordon Promenade was home to numerous entertainment venues, some stood out due to the quality of their services and the architecture of their buildings. One of the first places that comes to mind in this regard is Sporting Club. With its magnificent architecture and striking facade, Sporting Club was among the most remarkable buildings in Kordon. It operated on a membership system, where only the city’s elite could join, and new members were accepted only through references. This club once was İzmir’s most exclusive and prestigious entertainment venue.
Elhamra Brasserie was another significant entertainment venue of the period. The two-story building was constructed in 1886. In addition to its high-quality service, its accessibility by tram and its location away from the noise of workplaces made it a preferred venue. The location of the venue also had another interesting feature. The ceremony of throwing and retrieving the cross from the water, held every January to commemorate the birth and baptism of Jesus Christ, was traditionally performed in front of Elhamra Brasserie.
During the Great İzmir Fire, most entertainment venues, along with other buildings, were burned down and destroyed. In the aftermath, with Europeans leaving the city, their entertainment culture also came to an end.