The elevator clock of the Cordova Kardeşler Apartment in Beyoğlu, which watchmaker Recep Gürgen said “I have not seen another wife”, has been restored. The 99-year-old clock, which was unknown when it stopped, caught the time again.

The CORDOVA Family immigrated to Istanbul from Spain’s Iberian Peninsula in 1492. Moshe Cordova, the musician son of Rabbi Nesim Cordova, who is the continuation of the family, built the Cordova Kardeşler Apartment on Meşrutiyet Street in 1922. The elevator for the apartment was built by the Italian firm Stigler and brought to Istanbul by ship. Since Moshe Cordova wanted a private elevator, one of the rare products of the watch company GB, founded by Gustav Becker in 1847, was placed in the cabinet. The Cordova Family immigrated to Israel in 1948. The building, which has Istanbul’s one-hour elevator, has hosted many families over the years.

Architect Seda Özen Bilgili noticed the idle clock in the Cordova Kardeşler Apartment in a documentary she prepared about historical buildings in Istanbul. Architects, knowledgeable about working hours in Turkey’s court jeweler known as’ Recep reached hornbeam. 74-year-old Recep Gürgen restored the historical clock and placed it in the elevator cabin. “People used to look at the clock while leaving the house. Wristwatches were also not very common. “This clock is thoughtfully placed in the elevator,” he said.

Architect Seda Özen Bilgili told the story of the clock as follows: “I made examinations in many historical apartments. This was the first hour I saw in the elevator cabin. It’s also the first time I’ve ever seen an elevator cabin. Therefore it caught my attention. Apartment residents said the clock has not worked for many years. I also had this repaired with the support of Beyoğlu City Council. It has probably never been renovated. We had its first restoration 100 years later. The residents of the apartment are not interested in this date. ”

Cordova’s Elevator Clock

LiftArt Elevator
January 2021