On the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the birth of the legendary lyric singer, the mayor of Athens announced the restoration of the historic building at 61 Patisia (28th October) and Scaramanga streets
A unique building, an architectural jewel and inextricably linked to the memory of Maria Callas, is coming back to life in Athens.
In the Papaleonardo apartment building – a four-storey building built in 1925 on Patisia (28th of October) 61 and Skaramanga streets, in Patisia – is the house where Maria Kallas lived with her mother and sister when she came to Athens in 1937 and until in 1945, when he left again for New York.
Today – and on the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the birth of the most popular and greatest lyric singer – the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyiannis, announced the restoration of the historic building, in which the leading Greek soprano lived, in order to house the Academy of Lyric Art of the same name.
“It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, worthy of the best building in cities like Paris, London or Rome. This building – for too long abandoned to time and decay – evoked mixed feelings.
Although associated with the glamor of Maria Callas, his image did not live up to what it should have been. Today, we are proceeding with its revitalization, with the aim of achieving its second glorious period”, said the mayor of Athens.
On the occasion of today, the Ministry of Culture also announced the official inclusion of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas in the UNESCO list of commemorations of anniversaries for 2023, which includes personalities whom UNESCO honors for their contribution to development of Science, Education, Culture and Communication, with the aim of recognizing and promoting their universal dimension and importance.
The restoration of the Papaleonardo apartment building
For the project, which is undertaken by Anaplasi Athens S.A., it has been fully financed by European funds.
The tender of the project “Restoration of the Housing Building of the Maria Callas Academy of Lyric Art”, with a budget of 6,869,600 euros, is financed by the Operational Program “TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT” with a percentage of public expenditure of 100% and according to the approved schedule will be completed in 24 months.
The main scope of the project includes the following main tasks:
* Restoration of the facades of the preserved building and the roof, as well as all the preserved parts of its interior.
* Strengthening, and where necessary, reconstruction of the internal load-bearing structure, which is judged to be in a fragile and dangerous condition, due to damage from the earthquake and an earlier fire on the first floors.
* Creation of a building, which meets all modern functional and construction specifications for the specific use.
* Provision for seamless use of all spaces by people with reduced mobility, through special mechanisms to rise from the entrance to the elevated level of the ground floor and the slightly sunken basement and then through the elevator for the remaining floors.
* Dealing with all the requirements of active and passive fire protection
* Maximum utilization of all natural lighting, ventilation and cooling techniques.
The spatial and functional approach of the building program takes into account the special needs and requirements of the Music Academy.
Immediately after its restoration, the building will be handed over to the non-profit organization “ACADEMY OF LYRIC ARTS MARIA CALLAS”, so that it will be the roof of the Academy of the same name.
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