Victoria- Agiou Meletiou

What I can see

Continuing from the so-called “Little Paris” to Victoria Square and to the north, we keep seeing all the architectural trends that shaped the urban physiognomy of Athens. Classicism, eclecticism, modernism, many art deco and art nouveau elements compose a picture of the Athenian architectural identity of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which has disintegrated since the last decades of the 20th century, when many old buildings were replaced with new blocks of flats. Some very interesting cases are the buildings of 7 Mermiga St., Agkyras St., Pamisou St. (modernism), Photinion building (eclecticism), the Alexandros Diomidis Mansion (art deco), the building of 7 Ghyilfordou St. (eclecticism), 26 Ioulianou St. (eclecticism), the Kokoropoulos house (late classicism), the buildings of 35, 37, 50, 59, 69, 71, 131, 148 Fylis St., and 2, 4, 6 Smyrnis St., as well as many multi-storey interwar buildings, which are mostly located on more central roads. Unfortunately, many of these buildings are in poor condition and are proof that the preservation of the recent architectural heritage is not a priority for the state.

 

What I can't see

Before the urbanization of Athens, this area was deserted and was named Levidou or Levidi because of the Nikolaos Levidis villa. In the second half of the 19th century, there were one-storey houses, in which people of lower economic layers used to live while the upper classes lived in two-storey and three-storey houses. Today, the built environment is very dense and the vibe of the city is not reminiscent of old Athens. In small narrow streets, however, the atmosphere is different, more quiet, and the daily activities of the people and neighbourhoods are calmer. The atmosphere is also different on Fylis Street, where too many brothels are concentrated.

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