Shalem house/ Italian Consulate

What I can see

This rare building of neo-baroque eclecticism consists of 3 floors and is located in the centre of its garden. It also has plasticity, as its plan is not strict, but free. The facades are governed by symmetry and stylistic pluralism, and in them we see a synthesis of classicist, renaissance and baroque elements. On the main facade the marble staircase, the balconies, and especially the single balcony of the first floor stand out, which reinforces the monumentality of the stairs. Marble balustrades, false columns, relief frames and lintels, floral and spiral motifs, and Ionic capitals compose the rich decoration of the facade. The pediment, however, has incorrect proportions after earthquake repairs were done in an arbitrary fashion.

What I can't see

It was designed by Xenophon Paionidis. Inside, the rooms are arranged in a Π-shape, around an elongated central space divided in two by ornate glazing. Other interior decorative elements are the floral plasterwork, the carved lintels above the double-leaf wooden doors, and the ornate wooden floors. The mansion was bought by the Jewish lawyer Manuel Rafael Shalem, who was known for his participation in the negotiations of the Treaty of Lausanne. His son, Rafael Shalem, was a famous mathematician, from whom originated both the “Shalem Numbers” and the “Shalem” mathematical prize. During World War I, the mansion housed the consulate of Austria-Hungary and Serbia.

Info

• Address: 20 Vas. Olgas Av.

Bibliography