The archives of “Ergoliptiki S.A.”, one of the most important construction companies of the interwar period, are included from the beginning of June 2023 in the collections of the National Library of Greece (NLG), available for study.Its delivery by the civil non-profit organization for the Protection of the Natural and Architectural Heritage of Greece and Cyprus MONUMENTA to the Library marks the completion of a two-year cooperation program between the two institutions, with the aim of classifying, recording and partially preserving and digitizing the above material, with the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the assistance in the classification of the historical records rescue company “Arxeion Taxis”.

The Archive is divided into two sections. The first (about 100,000 pages) concerns the construction activity of Ergoliptiki up to World War II, while the second (about 5,000 pages) its commercial activity after the war. Readership may gather valuable information both on architecture and construction activity during the first half of the 20th century, and on architects, civil engineers, and craftsmen who collaborated with “Ergolipitiki”.

Documents, plans, photographic stills and invoices document the activity of the company which had undertaken, among other projects, the construction of houses, hotels, educational buildings, hospitals, roads and plumbing networks. Indicatively, the Papaleonardos apartment building, the Eleftherios Venizelos house in Athens (currently the residence of the British Ambassador), the Red Cross hospital, the Gkini building (NTUA), the extension of Great Britain, the Race Course, but also the refugee apartment buildings in Podarades (Nea Ionia).

In addition, the Archive’s contribution to research is also important for other issues, such as labor or insurance issues, particularly useful for understanding the social and economic history of the period.

To peruse more information, you may visit the websites of National Library Greece και της MONUMENTA.