Mecitözü's Historic Public Buildings
Besides the government house and clock tower, Mecitözü’s district center holds two further public buildings dating to the late Ottoman period: the former Military Recruitment Office, now converted into a cultural center, and the former Special Provincial Administration building, which has largely retained its original appearance.
Former Military Recruitment Office and City Museum
According to Çorum Municipality’s culture and tourism page, this building in the district center dates to the late Ottoman period and was built in 1886, under Sultan Abdülhamid II, as a primary school. In 1894 it was converted into a rüştiye (middle school), and was later used as a battalion headquarters. For a time it also served as a high school building, and was abandoned once the new Mecitözü High School building was constructed.
The building has a rectangular plan and consists of two stories above a basement. The exterior uses cut stone in places and rubble stone elsewhere, while wood is used in the interior spaces. Entry is through a stone-stepped door on the west façade; on the second floor there is a balcony the width of the entrance, with paired columns and an iron railing. A second entrance is located on the east façade.
Left derelict for a long period, the building has since been restored and opened as a “Culture House and City Museum.” It now houses a Traditional Culture and Arts Area, a Local Handicrafts Area, a City Visual Archive and Memory Center, a Music Education Area, and seminar rooms.
Former Special Provincial Administration Building
Located in Tutluk neighborhood in the district center, this building has a square plan and two stories, built in timber-frame technique. Entrances are provided through double-leaf wooden doors on the north and west façades. Renovations made on the ground floor to open a shop have somewhat altered the building’s original architecture. On the second floor there is a balcony on each of the north and west façades; the pediments above these balconies feature plant motifs worked in plaster. The building’s eaves are of the profiled cornice type, with a mansard roof covered in traditional Turkish tile.
Location and Related Places
Both buildings stand in Mecitözü’s district center, within the same administrative-historic fabric as the Mecitözü Government House and Clock Tower. For the district’s general history and other historic buildings, see the History of Mecitözü page.