Overnight thieves loot Presidential Symphony Orchestra construction
Meltem Özgenç – ANKARA
The under-construction Presidential Symphony Orchestra concert hall in Ankara was looted over a two month period earlier this year, its general manager Altan Kalmukoğlu has said.
“This happened around eight months ago,” Kalmukoğlu told Hürriyet, saying that equipment and materials, including cables, power systems, generators and elevator engines were stolen by two people, who managed to bypass the only onsite guard over a two month period.
“The loss stands at around 2.5 million Turkish Liras (roughly $654,000),” he said, adding that onsite security has subsequently received the support of an additional 10 guards.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry as well as universities are currently consulting over acoustic details in the construction, Kalmukoğlu said, adding that upon completion the complex will include exhibition halls.
The first tender for the complex was held in 1995 but efforts accelerated only three years ago. The building is located between Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the historic Ankara Castle. It sits on a 154,000-square meter plot and consists of five blocks.
The egg-shaped main hall of the building is designed to host more than 2,000 people, in addition to a 500-audience capacity hall for chamber music concerts.
Developers plan to complete the work in 2019, some 24 years after works officially began.
