Aristotelous Street
Aristotelous Street is the pedestrian street that connects Aristotelous Square with the Upper Aristotelous Square.
Modern and Contemporary era (1912 - )
1923 The facades of the buildings were determined.
Ottoman era (1453- 1912)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
Aristotelous Street connects Upper Aristotelous Square with Aristotelous Square and is the only implemented project of the Hébrard commission, after the destruction of the city by the fire of 1917. Contrary to the original design, it intersects central streets of the city, which interrupt its linearity. This may be the reason why Aristotelous Street did not finally manage to gather central functions of the city. The buildings are eclectic with a neo-Byzantine style (e.g. floral motifs, tectonic capitals). The Hébrard committee aspired for the Byzantine churches of the city, together with the neo-Byzantine Aristotelous axis, to function as a monumental ensemble. The architectural heritage of Thessaloniki was utilized not only ideologically, but also in terms of urban planning. The buildings have arcades on the ground floor, two floors and a recessed third floor. Along with the neo-Byzantine order, we can also distinguish colonial-neo-Arabic elements, an architectural style that Hébrard was probably influenced by. Crowds of people cross the pedestrian street every day and it is a main walking route to the waterfront and the traditional markets on both sides.
What I can't see
Hébrard was inspired by the Byzantine churches of the city, but balanced between local and international architecture (critical regionalism), without copying local tradition or current architectural trends. This perception contrasts with neoclassicism, which imposed a connection with the past of ancient Greece. Hébrard connected the architecture of Thessaloniki with the next phases of the history of Greece and its medieval past. The Hébrard committee would initially name the street “Ethnon” (i.e. Nations) or “Agiou Dimitriou” (i.e. Saint Demetrius). It is the only case in Greece, where a specific type of building facades was imposed. Only 14 buildings were designed according to the Hébrard plan. The rest imitate these 14, but are not their architectural continuation.
Bibliography
Field observation by scientific editors
Zafeiris Ch. (1997), Θεσσαλονίκης Εγκόλπιον, ιστορία, πολιτισμός, η πόλη σήμερα, γεύσεις, μουσεία, μνημεία, διαδρομές, [Thessaloniki Handbook, history, culture, the city today, flavours, museums, routes], Athens: Exantas
Kolonas V., (2015), Όψεις της Θεσσαλονίκης πριν και μετά το 1912, [Views of Thessaloniki before and after 1912], in Kairidis D., (ed.), (2015), Θεσσαλονίκη, μια πόλη σε μετάβαση, 1912-2012, [Thessaloniki, a city in transition, 1912-2012], Thessaloniki: Epikentro, p.p. 256- 265
Kostoglou V., Mitsi E., (d.u.), Πολεοδομικοί μετασχηματισμοί της Θεσσαλονίκης– Αναζητώντας ταυτότητα, [Urban transformations of Thessaloniki – Searching for identity], greekarchitects.gr
Collective Work, (1985-6), Νεώτερα Μνημεία της Θεσσαλονίκης [Modern Monuments of Thessaloniki], Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Northern Greece
Yerolympos A., (1996), Urban Transformations in the Balkans (1820- 1920), Aspects of Balkan Town Planning and the Remaking of Thessaloniki, University Studio Press
