Atatürk Cultural Center  Atatürk Cultural Center (), also simply called AKM, is a cultural center in Istanbul. As the focal point of Taksim Square, it is not only a multi-purpose cultural center and opera house, but an icon of Istanbul. The AKM is considered an important example of Turkish architecture from the 1960s. Two Turkish architects, Feridun Kip and Rüknettin Güney, proposed the building of the center on May 29, 1946, and work began on the building's foundation until funding was halted in 1953. In 1956, construction resumed with Hayati Tabanlıoğlu as the architect. The building, originally called the Istanbul Culture Palace, was finished after 13 years and was dedicated on April 12, 1969, twenty-three years after the 1946 proposal. However, a fire broke out 19 months later on November 27, 1970, during a performance of Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" (the Turkish language version being "Cadı Kazanı", "The Witch's Cauldron"). There was no loss of life in the fire but with the building IV. A part of the goods brought from the Topkapı Palace also burned ( a caftan belonging to Murad IV , a valuable Qur'an, a picture showing Murat IV) for the play of Murad . The source of the fire could not be detected. By June 2008, the cultural center was taken out of use for renovations. The center has been closed since then, when a major refurbishment to bring the building up to date before Istanbul took over the title of European Capital of Culture in 2010. The AKM is a model of environmentally friendly preservation. The main visible addition are the louvers onto the aluminum façade as part of the energy-saving design strategy. The modernization works were designed by renowned Turkish architecture firm Tabanlıoğlu Mimarlık. The Board for the Protection of Cultural Property decided on 31 December 2009 that the building has to be renovated as it stands. On 9 April 2012, a tender was held for the renovation project. The re-opening of the AKM was planned for 29 October 2013, the Republic Day. The renovation cost budget amounted to 70 million (approx. US$39 million). The project was stopped, however, in May 2013. That year, it was reported that the AKM is to be demolished as part of the proposed redevelopment plans for the Taksim Gezi Park and Taksim Square area and replace it with another opera house and a mosque.