What I can see

The Gennadiοs Library is one of the two libraries of the American School of Classical Studies and one of the most important libraries in Greece. The architects chose a Greek style, evident on its facade, the interior and the floor plan of the building, which references the Propylaea of the Acropolis. It has many elements, a magnificent marble facade and a portico with eight Ionic columns. On the architrave, one can see the inscription “WE CALL GREEKS THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN OUR CULTURE” by Isocrates Panegyricus. To the right and left of the central part, there are two lateral wings connected with the main building through small stoas. This is pure late neoclassicism, which was later criticized intensely (see Biris p. 290). 

What I can't see

It is a treasury of rare books, manuscripts, archives and works of art that bear witness to the legacy of Hellenism from the end of antiquity to the present. The Gennadios Library has been named in honour of the scholar and teacher George Gennadius (1786-1854). George was the father of John Gennadius (1844-1932), who served as a diplomat and was also a scholar and a bibliophile. Gennadius donated his book collection to the American School of Classical Studies of Athens under the condition that it be housed in a separate building. With funding from the Carnegie Foundation and a design by the Von Pelt and Thompson company, the work was indeed completed in a short time. Parts of the collections were stolen during the German Occupation (WW2).

Info

• Address: 54 Souidias St.
• Postal Code : 10676
• Phone: +30 210 7210536
• Website: http://www.ascsa.edu.gr

Bibliography