The land upon which the Çankaya Mansion now stands was a vineyard that belonged to Ohannes Kasabian, an Armenian jeweller and merchant. When Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who would later become the first president of the Republic of Turkey, saw the building in 1921, he took a strong liking to the property and bought it from Bulgurluzâde Tevfik Efendi, who had acquired the building and surrounding gardens after Kasabian family was sent to exile during the Armenian Genocide, for 4500 Liras. There is no record indicating Bulgurluzade Tevfik had paid any compensation for it. Although one Turkish newspaper article claims otherwise. When he initially arrived in Angora (now known in English as Ankara) in 1919, Atatürk settled in the Angora School of Agriculture. Following his election as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly on 23 April 1920, he moved into a stone house at the railway station, which was once station master's lodge, known as the Direction House. In early June 1921, Atatürk settled in the vineyard lodge, which, after repairs, became known as the Çankaya Mansion.