The saga of the buildings blocking the view of the New Acropolis Museum keeps on running. Whilst I’m not disputing the architectural merit of the front facades of these buildings, one wonders if many people payed much attention to them until they were faced with demolition.

From:
Guardian Blogs

Acropolis v art deco: Athens’s divided view
If it comes to a choice between an obstructed view of the Acropolis and the destruction of exemplary art deco architecture, which do you choose?
June 9, 2008 8:00 AM

A row is raging at the foot of the Acropolis. It goes like this: should pilgrims to a new museum dedicated to the world’s pre-eminent classical site be allowed to have an unimpeded view of the 5th-century BC masterpiece at the expense of two rather more contemporaneous cultural gems? Or should the monuments in question - listed buildings whose contribution to art deco is among the best in Europe - be allowed to stay? Put another way, can the city’s great classical heritage coexist with the architectural heritage of its midwar period?

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A new twist in the story of the buildings facing demolition because there are obstructing the view from the lower levels of the New Acropolis Museum. This new initiative involves an invitation for proposals on how the uninteresting rear elevations of the building could be made more aesthetically pleasing, in a hope that this will save them from destruction.

From:
Kathimerini (English Edition)

Monday June 2, 2008 - Archive
Facelift could save landmarks

Dozens of Greek and foreign architects have responded to a bid by local experts to provide a “facelift” to two historic buildings on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street which face demolition as they partially obstruct the view of the Parthenon from the New Acropolis Museum.

Some 172 participants have already registered their interest in “aesthetically enhancing” the rears of the two listed buildings. These include eminent professionals, such as Stephen Antonakos and Francois Loyer.

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