Description:
The project consisted of the restoration of an entire building block. The site includes the Arsakeion monument of the 1850's designed by Lyssandros Kaftanzoglou, as well as an extensive complex of neoclassical buildings erected in the early 1900's with a commercial center at the street level. The block also contained the "Koun Theatre" and the Orpheus cinema hall erected in the 1930's as well as additional more recent commercial structures and had a total area of 90.000 m2 of built space. The design involved the introduction of a new major use to the historic buildings, that of the Council of the State (Supreme Administrative Court), and its successful merging with the old commercial center and the important cultural institution of the "Koun Theatre". The Arsakeion monument was restored, not only in connection with its external appearance but also on its internal functions (i.e. reconstruction of the staircases which were demolished during previous uses of the building, etc.) Some 500 ancient marbles originally belonging to the precious monuments of the Acropolis of Athens were identified in the Arsakeion and have since found their place in the Acropolis. The facades of the neoclassical buildings of the 1900's were restored as well as the old commercial center. Internal re-design of the same buildings so as to assure maximum possible adaption to the new functions they were to serve. The Orpheus Cinema Hall was demolished because of its aesthetic and functional incompatibility with the remaining structures and the layout of the building block. The significant open space in the center of the building block was restored in order to create a recreational space in downtown Athens.