Talas municipality is definitely a popular place for Kayseri citizens. With its small historical houses and narrow streets, it creates a somewhat romantic atmosphere and therefore is popular specially with newlyweds – every weekend you can run into a couple of brides and grooms taking photos in this picturesque neighbourhood! Although most of the old houses have been already demolished and had to give ground to the modern development, and the remaining ones are not in a very good condition, spirit of the place remains.
Today I would like to talk about an outstanding Talas building which is clearly distinct from the rest and have a special history on its own. It is the Talas American College (Talas Amerikan Ortaokulu or Talas Amerikan Koleji in Turkish).
First, where is it located? You cannot miss it – it is a huge brown building just on the top of a hill, probably the uppermost building in Talas. Alright, but what was an American school doing here, and what purpose does the building serve today?
According to the online sources, the American Mission Center was established in Kayseri during the Ottoman Empire in 1854. Following this, the school was established in 1871 by a US missionary James L. Fowle, and in 1889 it turned into a secondary boarding school. Originally, the school was only for boys, nevertheless, from 1906 there was also a separate building for girls.
During the First World War, the building was transformed into a military hospital. Between 1919 and 1923, it was supposedly also used as an orphanage for those children who lost their fathers in the war. After the Treaty of Lausanne (1923), many missionary schools in Turkey were closed, but this one remained in operation – only its missionary status was changed. The students were mostly 12–16 years old and came from every region of Turkey. Some courses were taught in English, others in Turkish.
The school, which gave the world some notable alumni, was eventually closed down in 1968. The local youth and sports authority used the boys’ building afterwards; girls’ building served as a hospital and later was given to Erciyes University. The building was locked and seemed abandoned when we visited; anyway you can enter the school grounds and there is a beautiful view of Kayseri from the garden. The building itself is a bit scary, resembles an orphanage from horror movies!
The place is definitely worth visiting, but what a pity that such a nice building is currently not in usage. Probably it is not very practical for these days – for example, it would cost a fortune to heat up such a giant building… But let’s hope that one day it will be full of people and activity again!
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