From Modern Icon to Memory Fragment: The Transformation of Grand Ephesus Hotel in İzmir

Abstract

From Modern Icon to Memory Fragment: The Transformation of Grand Ephesus Hotel in İzmir. This paper exam-ines the transformation of the Grand Ephesus Hotel (1964), a landmark of post-war modernism in İzmir, and its role in shaping and eroding collective urban memory. Designed by Paul Bonatz and Fatih Uran in the rationalist vocabulary of international style, the hotel represented Turkey’s mid-century modern turn. It became a symbol of Izmir’s modernization, hosting significant cultural, social, and public events. As a modern heritage site, its spatial identity was tied to collective rituals, such as rooftop dinners, weddings, and fair-time gatherings. Through semi-structured interviews with long-time users, the study examines how place-based memory is produced and altered through architectural and programmatic change. After its closure in 2003 and reopening in 2008 as Swissôtel Grand Ephesus under private management, the hotel’s social function and symbolic role in the city shifted dramati-cally. While the building remains physically preserved, its meaning within the collective consciousness has faded. This rupture reflects broader issues in the heritagization of modern architecture, where material continuity often fails to maintain cultural continuity. Using the theoretical frameworks of Maurice Halbwachs and Pierre Nora, and building upon John Punter’s concept of place identity, the study demonstrates that memory is not only embedded in form but also enacted through use. The findings suggest that without engaging the everyday practices and emotional geographies tied to modern architecture, preservation risks turning living heritage into inert monuments. The case of the Grand Ephesus Hotel contributes to the discussion on adaptive reuse, symbolic erasure, and the need for more inclusive conservation approaches to 20th-century architectural heritage.