What I can see

Today, the mansion of Vitali Fernández is in a very bad condition and many architectural and decorative members have been looted. Only a few relief compositions on the lintels of the facades are preserved. The wooden roof has steep slopes, leaving room for a comfortable loft. Today, the roof has partly collapsed. The building consists of two levels, a semi-basement and an elevated ground floor. The balcony’s roof of the main facade is disproportionate and was supported by wooden cantilevered beams that reached deep into the ground, a rare case of architectural design. The premises of the building are arranged around a central octagonal hall.

What I can't see

Today, it belongs to the heirs of Germaine Hirsch, daughter of Fernandez, who live in Paris. It was designed by Pietro Arrigoni. The decoration of the facades was very rich and included embossed floral motifs, figures of Atlases, medallions with a girl’s face and roof paintings. It was called the “Villa of Blood” because the Gestapo was stationed here and it was a place of horrific torture, from where loud screams could be heard. During the Greek civil war, it housed the 1st police station. The reinforced concrete watchtower with battlements is either a remnant of the German Occupation or the civil war. Today, the building is for sale.

Info

• Address: 144 Vas. Olgas Av.

Bibliography