What I can see

The Papaleonardou block of lats is neoclassical with eclectic elements and Art Nouveau influences. The architect Kostas Kitsikis followed the trend of the time, i.e. the combination of new architectural trends with older ones, most commonly the combination of classicism and modernism. It has been designated as a listed building and the Maria Callas Academy of Opera is housed nowadays.

What I can't see

Spyridon Papaleonardou commissioned the construction company Beton Arme to build the building. Maria Callas lived here with her family from 1936 to 1945. The building, however, was also known as the “Skaramanga” squat, from the vertical street of the same name. Before the squat, it was abandoned and drug trafficking in the neighbourhood was the norm. According to residents of the area, the squat stopped this decline and the building was saved from collapse. According to the then government and the Minister of Public Order Nikos Dendias, the squats were places of criminal activity and he publicly expressed the belief that this particular squat was an insult to Maria Callas and the “Greek cultural model”. Also, the government intended the space for cultural use that is directly linked to Maria Callas. Dendias led the operation to evacuate the building, but ultimately the police found nothing blameworthy, although arrests were made. A few weeks after the squat was evacuated, the Naval Retirement Fund, which owned the building, indirectly rejected the government’s arguments, saying that restoring and renovating the building was unprofitable and disadvantageous. It then remained unused for more than 10 years, until the project was finally supported by European funding and housed the Maria Callas Academy of Opera. The zero-tolerance policy towards squats not only provoked sharp reactions from the anarchist community, but in this specific case, it provoked the discontent of a wider part of the society, as ultimately the police operation did not serve any direct cultural purpose, but only political and communicational ones for the conservative government.

Info

• Address: 61 Patision/ 28is Oktovriou & Skaramagka St.

Bibliography