The consulate, now located in a new 35-story glass tower, was built at a cost of nearly $300 million, which faced criticism in Turkey in 2021 when students protested the high cost of housing. It is said to be Turkey’s most expensive foreign mission. The building’s curving facade was inspired by the crescent on the Turkish flag, while its tulip-shaped top pays homage to the country’s national flower, according to the design firm that designed it. The structure includes consular offices, apartments, a prayer room, an exhibition space, and an auditorium, as stated by its architects.
City records reveal issues that arose months before Mr. Erdogan’s visit in 2021, as Turkish government contractors sought approval from the city to complete and occupy the building. On July 26, 2021, the Fire Department rejected the fire protection plan submitted by a consultant for the Turkish government, requesting changes. Around the same time, the Buildings Department issued a violation after a glass panel on the 17th floor fell off and dropped 10 stories.
Only 10 days before Mr. Erdogan was scheduled to preside over the opening of the new building, a senior Fire Department official informed Sparc Fire Protection Engineering, a consultant on the project, that the department would not object to a temporary certificate of occupancy if the consultant confirmed compliance of the alarm system with the city building code, according to the records.
However, a week later, on Sept. 17, the consultant reported multiple “deficiencies” related to smoke detectors, elevators, fans, doors, and other issues. The president of Sparc informed the city that the building would be staffed with guards on “fire watch” until the problems were resolved. The building is still operating under a temporary certificate of occupancy, according to the records.
On Monday, Sept. 20, in a ceremony three days later, Mr. Erdogan presented the new consulate to the public and the press, referring to it as “a masterpiece” that would serve as a sanctuary for American Muslims.
In May of this year, after a man used a metal bar to shatter several windows of the consulate and threaten its security guards, an act the Turkish president denounced as terrorism, Mr. Adams personally inspected the damage.