A public tender was published for the restoration of the beautiful four-storey building in Athens which was the childhood home of iconic Greek-American soprano Maria Callas.
The historical listed building, located on 61 Patision street -a busy main road in a residential area of Athens close to the Archaeological Museum and the historical headquarters of the Athens Polytechnic- is now planned to house the newly-founded Academy of the Lyrical Arts.
Tender offers can be submitted online until September 12, 2023, 10 a.m. local time.
The project has been estimated to cost 6.8 million euro, entirely funded by the EU’s National Strategic Reference Framework (NSFR), under the operative program for Transport Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainable Development.
The new educational institution that will be housed in the restored building aims to provide comprehensive music education in Lyrical Arts, at university level.
“The [former] home of Maria Callas will shine again, to house the Academy [of Lyrical Arts] and the dreams of anyone who studies at it,” Mayor Kostas Bakoyiannis commented on Thursday.
Maria Callas’s former home is an architectural gem
Maria Callas, one of the greatest and most influential opera performers of the 20th century, lived in the building on 61 Patision street between 1937, when her family arrived from the U.S., and 1945.
It spans 1442 sq.m. and has Jugendstil influences in its splendid architectural design.
Abandoned for decades, Maria Callas’s childhood home has suffered damages from an earthquake and a fire, hence it will need major restoration works to become safe and regain its glory.
The facade, roof, and preserved interior elements will be repaired, while the load bearing structure of the building will be re-constructed where required.
The restored building will comply to the latest operative and construction standards required for its specified use as an educational institution, and will include disabled access.
Museum, theatre, and academy to celebrate Greek soprano legend’s legacy
2023 marks 100 years since the Greek opera legend was born.
The Academy of Lyrical Arts is expected to contribute to the creation of a powerful cultural brand for Athens, associated with the famous soprano – like the Olympia Municipal Music Theater Maria Callas on Akadimias street, under the roof of the revamped former home of the Greek National Opera, and the upcoming Maria Callas Museum on Mitropoleos street.
The latter, featuring a variety of Callas memorabilia and housed in a neoclassical building owned by the Municipality of Athens, was due to launch in summer 2023 but an exact date is yet to be announced.
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