ISTANBUL, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Ataturk Culture Center, a landmark venue that overlooks the iconic Taksim Square in Istanbul, is being razed to ground on Monday for an opera house, sparking debate among residents.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled the details of the project at an event in Istanbul, saying the demolition and the reconstruction process started on the day.
The new opera house with a modern architecture will consist of a cultural complex including an exhibition center, a convention hall, a library, a museum, an art gallery as well as coffeehouses and restaurants.
"The Taksim Square will also be completely pedestrianized in line with the new landscape planning," the president said.
The demolition of the culture center has triggered off debate among the public, as it is seen by most Istanbulites as the symbol of modern Turkish republic and the westernization of the country.
The center had served as the main hub of the megacity's cultural life for almost three decades by hosting world-class classical music concerts and performances of opera and ballet until it was closed in 2008 for restoration.
The renovation work never started as the ruling Justice and Development Party proposed to dismantle it. Over fierce resistance from the opposition, the building was abandoned to collapse over time.
For Emre Cagil, a resident of Istanbul, the disappearing culture center has a special place in his heart.
"I first went there 15 years ago, when I was at high school, for a classical music concert," he said. "It was my first classical music experience and it was very magical for me."
Ayse Birgin has been waiting for the center to be renovated for almost nine years. "I feel very sad, all our memories will also be destroyed along with the AKM building," she said, using the initials for the center.
Erdogan stressed, however, that various studies conducted by different institutions starting from 2007 onward have shown that the AKM building can no longer be used.
"We know very well that the resistance to the collapse and reconstruction of this structure is rooted in ideological obsessions, not cultural artistic sensitivity," he said.
During the anti-government protests that spread all over the country in 2013, the abandoned AKM building became a symbol of resistance as the protesters shouted against unplanned urbanization projects mainly in Taksim Square and neighboring Gezi Park.
The new opera house is planned to open in the first quarter of 2019.
