Although Kordon Promenade was predominantly home to hotels, theaters, cinemas, and entertainment venues, a few government buildings also found their place here. Among them, the French Consulate building and the İzmir Commodity Exchange building have survived to the present day.
France had been involved in İzmir-centered trade since the mid-17th century and continuously competed with England for dominance over this commerce. Having maintained a diplomatic presence in İzmir since then, France decided to construct a new consulate building along Kordon Promenade after its previous consular building was damaged in an earthquake. Designed by French architect Emmanuel Pontremoli, the construction of the building was completed in 1906. Because the consulate was built of stone, the building was one of the few structures that survived the Great İzmir Fire. Until 1983, it served as the Consulate General of France in İzmir, and from that year onward, it began functioning as the Honorary Consulate of France. The building was restored in 2010 by Arkas Holding, a Levantine family-owned, İzmir-based company. Since November 2011, the section facing the sea has been used as the Arkas Art Center.
The first commodity exchange in the Ottoman Empire was established in İzmir in 1891. The building, used by the İzmir Commodity Exchange between 1891 and 1919, is one of the art nouveau examples in İzmir. It was repurposed as the National Bank of Greece, during the Greek occupation, After the occupation ended, it was converted into the central post office and continued to function as a post office until 1996. Following its allocation to the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the building underwent an extensive restoration and has been serving as the İzmir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism since 1998.
Although not located in Kordon Promenade, another significant structure that stands out in period photographs with its grand appearance is the İzmir Italian Girls’ School. Construction began in 1904, and the building was inaugurated in 1906, serving as a school until 1944. The building was expropriated and subsequently demolished as part of the municipality’s efforts to open Cumhuriyet Boulevard (Cumhuriyet Bulvarı). Today, the area where the building once stood is within Cumhuriyet Square.
The İzmir branch of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration-OPDA (Duyun-u Umumiye), several bank buildings, as well as the consulates of Germany and Greece were among the other official buildings located in Kordon Promenade. Among these, the buildings of the German and Greek consulates have survived to the present day. The German Consulate building was purchased by an İzmir-based company in 2016, and there are plans to open it as a museum. On the other hand, the Greek Consulate building underwent extensive restoration in the 2010s, and today, it remains one of the rare buildings in Kordon Promenade that continues to serve its original function.
