Many of Istanbul's 19th-and-20th century kiosks and pavilions in the royal parks along the Bosphorus were in bad condition and the remaining old residential districts of the city were in disrepair and under threat of demolition. In 1974 the Touring and Automobile Association began its work in the residential district near the Kariye Museum, repairing and painting the faåades of 12 houses, replacing the cobbled streets and restoring the local fountain. In 1979 the Association leased from the city certain buildings and parks to restore, furnish and put to profitable use.