Grand Hôtel d’Athènes

What I can see

It is a building of late neoclassicism and its elegance is evident by the arcade of the ground floor openings. After World War II, it housed offices and shops and today operates entirely as a commercial store.

What I can't see

Its history as a hotel probably begins earlier, during the reign of George I, and later (1896) it passed into the ownership of the Hatzikyriakos Orphanage for Girls. In his will, Hatzikyriakos requested the building to continue to operate as a hotel. In the 1890 tourist guide Joanne, it was called “Hôtel d’ Égypte” (B category) and a few years later, “Hôtel d’ Athènes”. Elsewhere it was called the “Athinai” hotel and “Grand Hôtel d’ Athènes”. The building was probably first expanded to the design of Ernst Ziller and during the interwar period it was expanded again to the design of Ioannis Antoniades. During World War II, it was requisitioned by the Nazis. 20th-century political figures, such as George Papandreou (senior) and Konstantinos Karamanlis, stayed in this hotel and delivered speeches from its balcony. The hotel was also known for its luxurious restaurant “Tou Kosti”, which was a hangout for diplomats. Originally founded in Izmir, it was relocated to Athens after the Greco-Turkish War.

Info

• Address: Stadiou & 2 Korai St.

Bibliography