Harokopos Mansion (Building of Benaki Museum)
Harokopos Mansion (Building of Benaki Museum)
Harokopos Mansion hosts the collections of Antonis Benakis and was bequeathed to the Greek people by himself and his 3 sisters, Alexandra, Penelope, and Argine. After its most recent refurbishment (1989–2000), the Benaki Museum displays a unique exhibition regarding Hellenic culture, arranged diachronically from prehistory through the 20th Century.
A humble structure was the original goal for construction of the house. The first expansion, included major remodelings, was designed by Anastasios Metaxas in 1911, after it was purchased by Emmanuel Benakis, Antonis’s father. Additions included an external staircase and a Doric porch in marble coming out to the Vasilissis Sofias Avenue main entrance - as well as the main façade adornments. The next augmentation was done in 1930, with the aim to transform the building into a museum to preserve and display Antonis Benakis’s Greek and Islamic art collections, as well as a collection of Chinese ceramics. More annexes were added in 1965, 1968 and 1973, necessary for accommodating the ever-expanding body of donations.
After its 1989–2000 expansion and remodeling, the building had become the home of the Benaki Museum collection of Greek art and material culture, the "Spyridon & Eurydice Costopoulos Gallery" for temporary exhibitions, the Library, and numerous museum operations and offices - such as the gift shop, restaurant, and cafe.
