When malls had not been invented, on the boulevards of Athens, such as in Panepistimi, in Stadiou, in Akadimias, in Patision, but also in the streets around the square of Omonia, about 40 shopping arcades, with a total area of more than 65,000 sq.m. , functioned as idiosyncratic shopping centers.
Although they once had moments of great glory and were bustling with people and traffic, failure to listen to the pulse of development, multi-ownership and – ultimately – the financial crisis led many of the malls to decline, say real estate consultants. Some were spared and were renovated (e.g. Stoa Spiromiliou – City Link, Stoa Korai and Stoa Emporon).
It seems, however, that the investment community is rediscovering the Athenian arcades, looking for hidden surpluses.
The story
The first interior portico in Athens according to French standards was built towards the end of the 19th century on Ermou Street. It is about the arcade at number 54 of the capital’s preeminent commercial street since the years of the newly established Greek state.
In the University, in the Stadium, in the Academy, in Patision, but also in the streets around the square of Omonia, approximately 40 shopping arcades were operating, with a total area of more than 65,000 sq.m.
At this point, opposite the church of Panagia Kapnikarea, after the demolition of the Koniari house, a four-story neoclassical mansion was built in 1883 on behalf of the merchant Vasilios Melas.
On the ground floor, the first commercial gallery of Athens was created in the model of the European galleries, which was called Stoa Koniari-Mela. Today, both the building and the gallery house the store of the Swedish clothing chain H&M.
Stoa Fexis, which started its operation in the mid-1920s, is one of the historical commercial arcades of Athens.
Two years later, in 1885, right next to it (Ermou 56) the house of Pyrrho was demolished, where a three-story neoclassical mansion with a corresponding gallery was built. Thus the Stoa of Pyrrhus was the second in the Greek capital “after the glass-roofed passage”. Until today, it connects Ermou Street with Athenaidos Street.
“Morning” mansion
One of the most popular galleries in the city, the Pesmazoglou Gallery, opposite the National Library, connects the University with Stadiou Street. It was built in the 1890s by the architect Panos Karathanasopoulos and the “Proia” newspaper was housed there from 1906 and for this reason the building is remembered for that time as the “Proia” Mansion.
Next is the Orpheus Gallery or commonly Arsakei Gallery, designed by Ernesto Ziller in 1907, also in the European standards of galleries.
In 1920-1930, the Stoa Praxitelous was built on Kolokotroni Street based on plans by the architect Vasilios Kouremenos. Since 2010, Stoa Praxitelous, completely renovated, has been operating as a bar area.
In the mid-1920s, Stoa Fexis, one of the historic shopping arcades of Athens, begins its operation, with exits on the vertical streets of Patision, Gladstonos and Veranzeros.
Opposite the 11th century Russian Church, Stoa Ralli was created in 1925 with the construction of the building that would house the wealthy refugees who arrived in Athens from Asia Minor.
On the University, at number 41, the Stoa Nikoloudis, one of the most important works of the architect Alexandros Nikoloudis, was designed based on corresponding London shopping arcades (arcades) and took its final shape in 1936. It housed famous shops of the time, such as the Hestia bookstore and the Lumidis coffee shop. Later, in the 1980s, with the construction of the adjacent building of the Alpha Bank bank, the arcade as well as the mansion were largely owned by the bank.
Serious damage
The incidents and clashes that took place in the center of Athens in 2012 caused serious damage, destroying the interior of the gallery and shops. The financing of the rehabilitation study is once again undertaken by Alpha Bank. Most of the arcade’s 14 stores opened during 2016, while some have been there for decades.
Today housing two extreme eras, the robust aesthetics of the interwar period and the boldness of the 21st century, the Stoa Spyros Miliou, at 5-7 Bucharest Street, was built in the late 1930s where the royal stables had been since the days of Othon. It should be noted that the portico, which brings together high-end gastronomy restaurants, now known as City Link, thanks to its inscription, prevailed to be called Spiromiliou, in one word.
The last shopping arcade construction was the Atrium Arcade in 1983, which was a hybrid structure between a shopping mall and an arcade
Built in 1954, the Nautemborikis Lodge at 8 Dragatsaniou Street traces a non-perpendicular “P”-shaped route to end up again at Dragatsaniou Street, while the Anatolis Lodge, at 8-10 Aristidou Street, has exactly the same layout construction time.
One of the few galleries that have been completely renovated is the Merchants’ Gallery, at 8-10 Voulis Street, which was built in 1953. It has an exit that leads to 5 Lekka Street through a marble staircase.
The Book Lodge, opened in 1996, was an extension of the Arsakei Lodge, taking the place where the Orpheus Theater was located.
Also known as the Hollywood or 7th Art Gallery, as almost all the film production and distribution offices in Athens were housed there, the Pantazopoulos Gallery (98-100 Akadimias) was built in 1958. With the crisis of Greek cinema, it gradually fell into disrepair.
The well-known ouzo of Apotsos, which was housed in the gallery at 10 Panepistimi, made it famous with this name. Today it is completely renovated.
The first jeans
The Lodges of Orphanidos (Stadium 39), Lykourgos (Lykourgos 16), Omonia (Piraeus 4), Stadion 33, Paneseptium 56, Sadikos (Patesion 20), Saroglio (Stadium 65), Opera (Academia 57), Paneseptium 64 and Lemos (Stadium 10) were built in the 1960s, while Stoa Bolani (Voulis 7) and Stoa Ippokratous (Ippokratous 13) in the 1970s.
In Stoa Orphanidou, where today one can find collectible coins, stamps and engravings, the shop that brought the first jeans to Athens was opened in 1960, with people flocking to get them. It still works today.
If we exclude the Book Pavilion founded in 1996, which was an extension of the Arsakei Pavilion, taking the place where the Orpheus theater was located, the last commercial arcade construction was the Atrium Pavilion at Harilaou Trikoupi 6-10 in 1983. It is a hybrid construction between mall and arcade.
Arch of Arsakei
Food hall and shops
Legendary Foods aspires to turn the Stoa Arsakei into the second most visited tourist destination in Athens. The masterpiece architectural arcade with the impressive glass roof and the octagonal ground plan square with the dome on the roof, which joins Panepistimiou, Arsaki, Stadiou and Pesmazoglou streets, will host a multi-purpose venue for the promotion of the Greek Mediterranean diet and Greek producers (food hall), which is expected to open its doors in the coming months. According to the plan, approximately 20-22 food and catering shops will be accommodated, while commercial shops with a facade on the Stadium will also be created.
The Orpheus Gallery or commonly known as the Arsakei Gallery, designed by Ernesto Ziller in 1907, according to the European standards of galleries, will host a multi-purpose hall promoting the Greek Mediterranean diet.
Lacoste and Bostonians of the Notos Com group are estimated to unveil their windows just before Christmas, while according to information there will also be a sensational fashion company present. Recently, Legendary Food, tenant company for 35 years of the gallery, signed a contract with the European Parliament for the creation of the Europa Experience in Athens, which will be housed in the premises of the historic building. Peter Oikonomidis, Evangelos Kontzias and Panos Triantafyllopoulos participate in Legendary Food, while the main shareholder is the Oikonomou shipbuilding family. The company has leased the 12,000 sq.m. from the total area of 25,000 sq.m., while the Council of State and the Karolo Koun Art Theater will remain on the property. The total investment will reach 15 million euros, excluding the investments made by the lessees.
Stoa Korai
New commercial and entertainment hub
Now owned by Piraeus, the emblematic and historic property of National Insurance, at the junction of Korai and Stadiou streets, where Stoa Korai is also located, one of the most “alive” galleries in the center of Athens, is counting down its renovation so that to house the bank’s central administrative units there. Based on the most modern building specifications, the reconstruction project has been undertaken by Dimand Real Estate, which was the owner of the building for a few months, buying it through the company Iovis MAE from the National Insurance Company. Following an agreement with Piraeus Bank, he transferred the said company to the latter for an amount of 52 million euros, which also covers the financing that Dimand had contracted for the purchase of the property.
The Book Lodge, opened in 1996, was an extension of the Arsakei Lodge, taking the place where the Orpheus Theater was located.
Its total area reaches 15,000 sq.m., of which more than 9,000 sq.m. will be allocated for the establishment of the bank’s offices. In addition, 3,000 sq.m. will be made available to retail and catering stores in Stoa Korai, creating a new hub of commercial and entertainment activity in the center of Athens. The plan includes the highlighting of the listed ASTY cinema and the Kommandatur historical memory area of the period 1941-44.
The total amount of the investment is estimated to exceed 20 million euros.
At the moment Stoa Korai with over 25 stores is dominated by catering uses, while its upcoming upgrade will be the second in 20 years, as the millennium, under the ownership of National Insurance, was previously renovated by the Haragionis group, having even taken the name “Galleria Korai”. Perhaps the most basic characteristic and at the same time advantage is that it is located directly opposite, at a distance of a few meters, from the exit of the University metro. The top building, where the Stoa Korai is also located, bears the signature of the architects A. Metaxas and E. Kriezis and its construction was completed within two years (June 11, 1936 – December 30, 1938).
In addition to the opening of the portico on the ground floor level, in the underground space the construction of the anti-aircraft shelters necessary for the time, six meters below the ground, which later became hell for the Greek patriots when the Stadtkommandantur, the “Commandator” was installed in the building, was foreseen as the Athenians called her.
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