An example of the effects of the Westernization period on the First National Architecture: the Reşadiye Numune School

ABSTRACT It has been known that the westernization efforts that started in the last period of the Ottoman Empire continued in the Republican era and that a wide and radical change was made in order to build a new and modern state. This period also includes the formation, development and the end of the First National Architecture movement. Reşadiye Numune School, which is one of the representatives of First National Architecture movement has been studied in this article. During the Ottoman Empire’s Westernization movements period, there were fundamental changes in the materials and techniques used in Ottoman architecture via the influence of architects and engineers trained in Europe. In addition, important discussions were carried out on architecture under the influence of the prevailing movement of Turkish Nationalism. The Reşadiye Numune School of Architect Kemalettin was an early example of hosting all contemporary qualities discussed above. Through the analysis of this building, the planning of school buildings, their construction techniques and materials, and how their architectural forms were interpreted during the First National Architecture period shall be examined. The preservation and reuse of historic and structural values of construction shall be emphasized in terms of addressing the possibilities in this direction.