It is the first time, after 63 years, that the imposing building that houses the American embassy, in Athens, has become a “yip” again. A few weeks ago, everything was stripped from the building and a general facelift of interior renovation began, the details of which fall under diplomatic secrecy. The fact is, however, that even the armored embassies for security reasons are getting old. And how now only the outer walls are left to remind of his architectural masterpiece Walter Gropius, founder of the famous Bauhaus school. On the roof of the building, where marines usually patrol, today one can see workers and cement machines, while the area in front has been turned into a normal construction site.
Gropius’ perspective
It remains to be seen whether the architects of the facelift will receive accolades for their designs, such as Walter Gropius received from the US Congress when he presented his own design inspired by the Parthenon architecture. But it was many years later, at an invitation of the then ambassador Daniel Smithwhere the architect Alexander Samaras would give some anecdotal information about the history of the building. First, the design of the American embassy in Athens as well as those in The Hague and Oslo were entrusted to Ralph Rapson (1914-2008) and John van der Meulen. In their design, the two architects used a floor plan in the shape of a … “square donut” (a favorite American snack), with a steel frame and a simple glass box raised on poles. Despite months of work and extensive planning, these plans were suddenly put on hold after the 1952 presidential election. They were, however, presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as part of the “Architecture for the State Department” exhibition [Αρχιτεκτονική για το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών] (October 6-November 22, 1953), curated by Arthur Drexler, curator of exhibitions and director of the museum for 35 years.
Back in Athens and in the early 60s. The land where the embassy was built was previously occupied by barracks and was located close to planned refugee housing complexes (Stegi Patridos) and arbitrary settlements, along the Ilissos River. After coming into the possession of the American state through the process of exchange, Gropius would lay the foundation of the edifice on a thought he often shared: “I am not interested,” he said, “in having a beautiful design built in a vacant street, if treated as an independent unit, without considering the neighborhood, which is already there. It must become one with the city and its history.”
Therefore, instead of “planting” a modern American building in Athens, he studied the peculiarities of the place, not only as a set of physical parameters, but also as a spiritual tradition. Its raw materials would be the steel or concrete frame, the elongated windows, the cantilevered slabs, the wings suspended on posts. The designers aimed for a building that “exudes peace, tranquility and friendliness/philanthropy”, elements achieved with the white, Pentelic marble and blue ceramic grid. The environment, the ground floor, as well as the opening of a large part of the ground floor to the main entrance, allow the visitor to have a view of the atrium.
Inside the embassy, the classical tradition is expressed through the idea of modern architecture, continued with the use of an archaic form of atrium, surrounded by supporting columns as well as a portico/entrance, which crosses the entire building. In its center, a single large courtyard closely associated with the atmosphere and traditions of the city, for which it was designed. A large open courtyard along Vasilissa Sophia leads via a ramp or, alternatively, via two flights of stairs to the main entrance.
The hard times
Until then, the American embassy was housed in an old neoclassical four-story building located at the junction of Herodos Attikos streets and Vasilissis Sofias avenue, which was then demolished and a new multi-story building was built in its place. In 2003, a new green space was added as well as a new building in order to meet the needs of the embassy. Then a dispute broke out between the Army Equity Fund, which owned the plot, and the government at the time, which wanted to grant it to the American embassy.
But this was but the most painless episode in the building’s history. It is enough to remember that during the junta of the colonels two operations were carried out against the embassy. On September 2, 1970, it was planned by members of the Aris group of Rigas Feraios to plant an explosive device in a car next to the building. During the operation, however, the car exploded, killing Giorgios Tsikouris and Maria-Elena Angeloni. Two years later, on August 29, 1972, an explosive device exploded in the basement of the American embassy, causing material damage. The People’s Revolutionary Resistance, of which Alexandros Yiotopoulos was also a member, had taken responsibility.
With respect to Gropius’ vision
“In 2018, the US government commissioned the American construction company Caddell Construction Company to renovate and restore the historic US Embassy building. The Embassy, designed by one of the most important figures of modernist architecture of the time, Walter Gropius, is an important landmark of the city on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, near Mavili Square, and was inaugurated on July 4, 1961. It is currently undergoing a multi-year and multi-dimensional gradual renovation. The north wing of the Embassy was inaugurated last year on February 21, 2023. The restoration will preserve Gropius’ original vision while improving the functionality and energy efficiency of the building. This project is an important symbol of the deep, historical ties between our two countries and our ongoing cooperation to promote peace and prosperity in Greece and the wider region,” said US Ambassador George Tsounis.
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