The disastrous Great Fire of August 1917 burned 9.500 buildings in just 32 hours, leaving more than 70,000 people homeless. Heading the committee entrusted with the designing the new urban plan, the French architect Ernest Hébrard envisioned the creation of a ‘metropolitan city center’ adorned with monumental buildings. The plan involved two large squares; the north square accommodating public buildings, and the south square for commerce and recreation. Connecting the two squares with traditional downtown markets was Aristotelous street . Hébrard thus managed to incorporate the old Ottoman bazaars to his new westernized city and opened up the core of the city center to all residents.