Özet:

The declaration of the Republic ushered in radical changes in several areas. The Modernization Project, which was realized in line with the ideology of the Republic, was handled as an integral project involving political, social and economic changes. The development process of a modern society was carried out through visible symbols. Education and architecture were the primary fields in which the modernization project was made visible. Education had an important role in terms of public awareness; architecture, on the other hand, played a critical role in the spatial representation of modernity. Thus, in the early Republican period, educational structures constituted the spatial models of the Republic aiming to modernize in the field of education. Primary schools, where basic education is given, on the other hand, were considered to have higher priority than the education institutions at other levels. As the majority of public was not yet literate, it was intended to rapidly boost the literacy rate, and ensure that everybody received primary school education by popularizing the primary schools loyal to the principles of the Republic. The objective was thus to spread the Republican ideology through individuals who would embrace the new regime. In this context, new school buildings were designed and constructed in cities, towns and villages. Educational structures built in the early years of the Republic reflect the architectural style called the First National Architecture Period. One of the leading projects implemented during these years is the Gazi and Latife schools in Ankara designed by Mukbil Kemal Taş. The project was used in the 1920s and throughout the first half of the 1930s in the construction of primary school buildings in many provinces and districts of the country. Orhan Gazi Primary School, which is the subject of the study, was built in Akçakoca based on the mission and project in question, featuring characteristics of the First National Architecture Period. Orhan Gazi Primary School, whose construction started in 1926 and opened for education in 1929, continued its educational activities until 2015. The structure consisting of the basement, ground and first floors, presents a symmetrical layout in the building, plan and facade designs. While the classrooms and administrative units are on the ground and first floors, the gym and activity room as well as the technical units are at the basement level. Orhan Gazi Primary School’s facade, on the other hand, reflects the characteristics of the First National Architecture Period with features such as its wide soffits, roof buttresses, symmetrical arrangements, emphasis of facade entrances and corners. The original architectural identity of the structure, which underwent maintenance repair work during its nearly century-long operation period, remains unharmed. The maintenance of architectural identity and its place in the memory of the urbanites make the building important for architectural and social memory. The aim of the study is for the building examined in line with the architectural characteristics of the time to shed light on Düzce and Akçakoca’s early Republican architectural production, and serve as an example for future studies to be conducted. Additionally, attention is drawn to the building’s significance in order to contribute to the preserving and maintaining of Orhan Gazi Primary School, which reflects the architectural characteristics of the early Republican period, without abandoning its original function.

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