The strategy implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Sports for the creation of cultural nuclei in Plaka, with the restoration and promotion of buildings –owned by the Ministry of Culture that are of architectural and historical interest, is shown in relief in the buildings located in the wider surrounding area of the ancient and Roman Agora.

The ministry’s staff, under Lina Mendoni, conducted an autopsy on the ongoing restoration projects, which are being implemented by the Directorate for the Protection of Modern Cultural Heritage, the “Kolettis House” on Polygnotos 13 and the building, which will host the Odysseas Elytis Archive on Polygnotos 7 and Dioskouron 4. The team conducted an autopsy in the building on 7 Dioskouron Street, which is scheduled to host the Karolos Koun Museum and the Melina Mercouri Foundation, on Polygnotou Street, and ended up in the well-known “Kokovikou House” on Tripodon Street.

Within the framework of the policy of the Ministry of Culture for the restoration of buildings owned by Plaka, studies have been launched in order to repair the buildings and upgrade the wider area, which is also the environment of the archaeological sites of the ancient and Roman Agora. The restoration studies, with a total budget of 500,000 euros, include the building of the Melina Mercouri Foundation (11 Polygnotou Str.), the building on 6 Dioskourou Str. , which houses the offices of the Ephorate of Antiquities and private archaeological collections of the Ministry of Culture, the building, which in cooperation with The Art Theatre will host the Karolos Koun Museum (7 Dioskourou str.), the building, which hosts the federation and associations of employees at the Ministry of Culture (1 Dioskourou STR. and 5 Polygnotou Str., and the federation and associations of the federation and associations of the federation and the Karo
The studies are financed from the budget of the Ministry of Culture and have a one-year timetable for implementation in order for the rehabilitation projects to be integrated into a financial program.

As Lina Mendoni stated, ” The Ministry of Culture and Sports has designed and is implementing a comprehensive program for the protection and promotion of buildings in Plaka, the neighborhood that has been associated more than any other with the character of the historic center of Athens. From the archive of the Acropolis Conservation Service, which will be housed in Kolettis House, to the “House” of the Odysseas Elytis archive and the Karolos Koun museum, a new core of building infrastructure for cultural uses is being created by the Ministry of Culture, highlighting the different aspects of the city’s culture and history. The new cultural “route” of Plaka is underway, in accordance with our commitments and in compliance with the timelines we have set. At the same time, studies are being prepared for the restoration of the building of the Melina Mercouri Foundation, the building that will house the Karolos Koun Museum, the “Kokovikou House”, on Tripodon, as well as buildings that serve the needs of the Ministry of Culture. Our goal is to strengthen the special historical and cultural character of Plaka, as well as to upgrade the tourist interest in Athens”.

Kolettis House on Polygnotos borders the archaeological site of the Ancient Agora. On the plot, which has an area of 1100 square meters, the main building, about 500 square meters, is developed on three levels and has a garden and an independent entrance. The building is planned to function as a documentation center for the Acropolis project “Charalambos Bouras”. Work on their restoration, with a budget of 3.5000.000 euros is underway, with a delivery schedule, in 2024. The building was probably constructed between 1870 and 1874, originally rectangular in plan with a four-pitched roof and two probably independent functional levels (ground floor and first floor) with entrances from the south, where there would have been a roof and an external staircase to the first floor. The addition of the second floor and the incorporation of ancillary spaces to the south took place after 1890 and before 1928-probably before the end of the first decade of the 20th century.

The building, at the junction of Polygnotou and Dioskourou streets, will house the great legacy left by the Nobel Prize-winning poet Odysseas Elytis. The listed building and the two auxiliary buildings, owned by the Ministry of Culture, at the junction of Dioskouron and Polygnotos streets, are being restored by the competent department of the Ministry. The project budget amounts to 657,200 euros, with a June completion in June.E.
In the building, spaces are created for the exhibition, but also for the storage of the Elytis Archive, and for the great visual material, that showcases his diverse work. At the same time, through photographs, texts, audio, and visual material, the life of the poet is presented in relief, while his office with personal belongings is restored. The Elytis Archive is currently in the possession of Mrs. Ioulita Iliopoulou, who took the initiative to submit the proposal to the Ministry of Culture in 2013. The restoration studies of the building were approved by the Central Council of Modern Monuments in July 2013.

In the autopsy, Lina Mendoni was accompanied by the head of the Directorate for the Protection and Management of Modern and Modern Monuments and Monuments of Technical Culture and Historical Places, Gianna Karani, the head of the service for modern monuments and technical works of Attica, central Greece, and the Cyclades, Stavros Tsavalos, the architects of the Ministry of Culture, Vasilis Tsiantis and Charikleia Kantza; and officials of the Ministry of Culture.