Military Period

The location of the square would be utilized during the 19^th and early 20^th century as a space for military barracks in the center of the city. After sustaining critical damage that was beyond economically reasonable repair, the location was used to build a soccer stadium, which was then demolished to construct what would be known as Gezi Park.

In a recent attempt to beckon back to the roots of the location and its usage, the government of Istanbul attempted to demolish parts of Gezi park to resurrect the barracks in addition to more commercial venues for citizens and tourists. The deconstruction of the barracks in the early 20^th century signified a change in the cultural mindset of the city that encouraged a more active involvement in engineering social comradery and pride. In this way, the government at the time was detaching from the conventional normal usages of the space in turn for a newfound function that would deviate from the expected usage of space in the center of the city. This change signified a new identity in Taksim Square and Gezi Park which would influence the history of the site as one geared towards inciting social gatherings rather than brute city development and maintenance.