What I can see

It is a two-storey neoclassical building with an arched arcade on the facade, which “eases” the strictness of neoclassicism. It is likely that it was designed by Gerasimos Metaxas, under the supervision of Panagiotis Kalkos.

What I can't see

It was built to house the city’s nursery, which was originally housed in various buildings and at a time when unwanted pregnancies resulted in babies being abandoned on the street or even murdered. It was built with donations and was under the protection of Queen Olga. In addition to caring for infants, the nursery had a “vrefodochos”, where mothers left their children for the institution to take care of. It was abolished in the late 1960s. Increasing infant mortality led to the creation of a dairy farm of 15 cows from Russia for fresh milk. During World War II, the mortality rate reached 120% and the infants were transferred to Voula area (PIKPA).

Info

• Address: 51 Pireos/P. Tsaldari St.

Bibliography