The Mersin State Museum of Art and Sculpture, one of the first civil architectural works of the republican era, whose foundation was laid by Governor Tevfik Sırrı Gür in February 1944, was completed within two years and 8 months and was commissioned in 1946 on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary for the establishment of the Turkish Republic. Today, the center's building houses the Mersin Opera and Ballet Department, which was established in 1990, the Fine Art Gallery unit, and some periodic exhibitions held here.