Greek School Memory Center

The consturction of the Greek School in Old Gümüşhane started in 1875. Completed in 1879, the building became the most important education center fort he Greeks of the East Blascksea Region after the Trabzon School. The gorund floor walls, some parts of first floor walls and some retaining walls of the garden survived today, which was abondaned after the Population Exchange in 1924.

The main entrance of the building is on the north-east facade looking at the street and there are two more entrances on the south-west side on the ground floor and on the first floor, which is accessed by an arched stone bridge. Near this bridge there is a stair ruin that connects the floors. The existing walls of the building were built with rubble stone. Hewn stones were used just as an ornament at corner plasters, door and window frames and floor and base fascias.

The building is under restoration to be used as Old Gümüşhane Memory Center. All the information, documents, photographs, books etc. about Gümüşhane will be collected in this place. Building is designed as a cultural center with a general library, a special archive where rare books/documents will be collected and flexible spaces which can be used for education, activities and gatherings.

Reconstruction and restitutional completions are avoided in the design. Instead, parts of the building’s lost parts were completed with wood veneer above stone masonry. In this way the parts interfered with restoration can be recognizable to users. The roof cover of the building will be made with hartama (wood shingles), which is a forgotten traditional roof cover of the region and especially Old Gümüşhane.