ABSTRACT
By considering the economics and politics of the form of the Istanbul Hilton and how that form disciplined the gaze of observers inside and outside, the remarkable authority of its patrons is established. But an investigation of the effects of history on the structure evidences its long-term resistance to its planned function as a profitable status symbol of capital. The initial power of the Istanbul Hilton's modernity was corrupted by the city's embrace. Modernity lost its aesthetic and ideological authority; the hotel lost its market share. This chapter describes the introduction to Istanbul of the Modern—its figuration, gaze, and politics—and its subsequent erasure. In April, 1951, Hilton International and the Turkish government announced their agreement to construct a new hotel in Istanbul. The choice of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill as the American designers of the new Hilton was appropriate for the hotel's broader project. Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) were a major player in development of American modernity.
