The Palazzo Corpi was built in the late 19th century at the behest of Ignazio Corpi, a wealthy Genoese shipowner who had established his business in the
Beyoğlu district of Istanbul. Corpi employed Italian architect Giacomo Leoni to build the palazzo. He also commissioned
Georgio Stampa, an architect who had worked on several national embassies in Istanbul, to assist Leoni. Construction began in 1873 and concluded in 1882. The costs associated with the project were recorded as being 99,000
liras. Ignazio Corpi himself died in 1882, shortly before the building was completed. Leishman won, and the United States government reimbursed Leishman, and in doing so officially acquired the Palazzo Corpi as its embassy in Turkey. In the words of Thomas J. Carolan, Jr. of the
American Foreign Service Association, "Palazzo Corpi thereby acquired the unique distinction of being the first and only U.S. diplomatic premises to be won in a poker game." In 2004 the
Hollings Center was founded with the intent to foster dialogue between the United States and the nations of the Middle East. One of the goals of the organization is to maintain the Palazzo Corpi.
Current occupancy In 2014 the United States agreed to lease the palazzo to Soho House, a hotel club. Soho House then refurbished parts of the building at a cost of $12 million. These renovations were finished in 2015, after which the Palazzo Corpi became a hotel and conference center. The building continues to house office space for the Hollings Center's operations in Turkey. == Design ==