The Dock Company built two large buildings on Karaköy waterline between 1910 and 1914. The larger of these two is the Merkez Han, which is located right next to the current Karaköy Passenger Terminal. Constructed between 1912 and 1914 on Rıhtım Street, the building served as the Head Office of Türkiye Denizcilik İşletmeleri A.Ş. until the Privatization Administration’s Salıpazarı Port Tender of May 2013.

Emerging out of the Arts & Crafts movement in London, the Art Nouveau style initially entered Turkey in early 1900s. One of the best representatives of the style in Istanbul is Merkez Han, an important touristic destination in Karaköy and a leading historical heritage site in Istanbul.