The Continuity, Transformation, and Disruption of Urban Memory: A Reading on Three Republican-Era Buildings in Giresun

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine how urban memory is reproduced in the face of spatial
interventions, through an analysis of the changes over time in three Republican-era buildings in
Giresun. The study is structured around theoretical approaches that address urban memory
through the lenses of continuity, transformation, and rupture. The buildings were analyzed using
archival documents, historical and contemporary photographs, and on-site observations; they
were comparatively evaluated based on criteria such as functional continuity, the level of
physical intervention, duration of use, and public perception. These indicators were interpreted
through timelines that allow for tracking period-specific changes. The findings indicate that the
uninterrupted use of the City Hall has produced continuity in memory; the functional
transformation of the Vakıf Hamam and Hotel has created an intermediate state between
physical preservation and a shift in meaning; and the demolition of the City Cinema has led to
a distinct rupture in urban memory. The conceptual insights derived from the Giresun case
demonstrate that urban memory is a dynamic process reproduced not only through the physical
presence of structures but also through their functional and symbolic continuity, and that it
offers an analytical framework for broader-scale interpretations.