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Similar Strefi Hill, Livieratos Mansion, Old Royal Palace, Stathatos Mansion, Museum of the City of Athens | ||
The Blue Condominium (Greek: Μπλε πολυκατοικία) is an apartment building in Athens, Greece. Being an example of modern architecture in Athens, it is on the corner of Arachovis and Themistokleous Streets near Exarcheia’s center square, and was built in 1932-1933 for Kostis Antonopoulos who was also the builder and first owner of the building. It was designed by architect Kyriakoulis Panagiotakos while the initial dark blue colour of the façades was selected by painter Spyros Papaloukas.
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Description
It actually consists of two independent six-floor buildings, which are joined together at the top floor. Particular attention was given to all common areas of the Blue Condominium such as the entry halls, concierge, corridors, staircases, laundry, and the meeting room on the top floor. The meeting room on the top floor was later separated into seven new apartments, increasing thus their number from 32 to 39. The original designs included a pool, but its construction was never completed.
It was an innovative and distinctive work of the era. When Le Corbusier visited it during the fourth congress of CIAM, he said that "it is very beautiful." On the ground floor used to be the café "Floral".
Through time, notable people have lived in the Blue Condominium such as Leonidas Kyrkos (politician), Renos Apostolidis (writer), Sofia Vempo (singer and actress), Lili Zografou (writer and descendant of Dionysius Solomos), Dimitris Horn (actor), Alexis Minotis (actor and director), Katina Paxinou (actress), the owner Kostis Antanopoulos and his family, Fredy Germanos (journalist and author), Dimitris Myrat (actor, director, impresario, and theater theorist), Evaggelos Meimarakis (Greek politician, lawyer, and president of the Greek Parliament), the daughter of Ioannis Metaxas (Greek military officer and then prime minister and dictator of Greece 1936-1941).
Events
This building during the Metaxas dictatorship and World War II housed the counterintelligence organization "Midas" and its staff officer John Tsigante. During the events Dekemvriana, fighters of the Greek People's Liberation Army had attempted three times to blow up the building. In the Blue Condominium, Greek films like The jealous cat (1956) and Stamatis and Gregoris (1962) were filmed.
The Building today
Today, the Blue Condominium, being stripped of its characteristic blue colour and with its innovations being considered obsolete, risks losing its own identity. But it certainly stands as a reminder of luxury; unlikely any other apartment building in Athens, the Blue Condominium is the only one enforcing the original regulation of the building of the 1930s, which dictates a strict framework for the behavior of service staff.