Historic Athens edifice set for revamp
[Vassilis Lambiris]
The City of Athens has been granted a 25-year lease on a historic building on the corner of downtown Stadiou and Santaroza streets that once housed Greece’s first National Printing Office, it was announced on Thursday.
Slating it as a venue for exhibitions and events, the municipal authority will undertake the cost of its restoration, which is expected to reach 2.5 million euros. The money will come from municipal resources and other national and European funding programs.
Built in 1834 to a design by Bavarian architect Joseph Hoffer, it was one of the first public buildings of the nascent Greek state. It has been shut for 23 years after also serving for several decades as the Athens First Instance Court.
