The imposing edifice of the Rhodes National Theater was built in 1937 and designed by the Italian architect Armando Bernabiti (1900-1970) in the style of interwar rationalism. [Nikos Vatopoulos]
Restoring the long-neglected National Theater of Rhodes is one of the top priorities in the capital of the southeastern Aegean island. The agreement for the project was signed recently by the South Aegean Regional Authority and the Municipality of Rhodes, with construction set to begin soon. The project represents a successful tripartite collaboration between the Ministry of Culture (the building is a listed historical monument), the regional authority and the municipality, which owns the building.
The National Theater of Rhodes is one of several impressive buildings left from the Italian occupation. The austere and imposing edifice was built in 1937 and designed by the Italian architect Armando Bernabiti (1900-1970) in the style of interwar rationalism, and was inaugurated as the Puccini Theater.
The Ministry of Culture has included the project in the Recovery Fund with a budget of 16.8 million euros. The South Aegean Regional Authority has joined the effort with 400,000 euros and the Rhodes Municipality followed with an additional 35,000 euros.
The agreement between the three institutions is a project that is expected to benefit not just the town of Rhodes, but the island as a whole by bolstering its cultural infrastructure. Once finished, it will be able to host theater, music and even opera performances, in cooperation with the Greek National Opera in Athens. It is also hoped that it will boost cooperation with art organizations and companies abroad.
The construction part of the project is slated for completion in 2025, after which a tender will be called for outfitting the theater, again with EU funding. Presenting the project to the press last month, South Aegean Regional Governor Giorgos Chatzimarkos stressed that construction will be environmentally conscious and respectful toward the citizens of Rhodes. A photograph of what the building will look like when it’s finished will be displayed on the exterior construction cover-up.
Rhodes Mayor Antonis Kampourakis said that the National Theater of Rhodes began deteriorating in 1972-73 and no serious attempts were made to save the historic building in the past decades. Its restoration as a cultural center is part of a bigger project to revamp the surrounding space and its integration with the adjacent buildings of the Rhodes Municipal Theater and open-air cinema.
