11. Kaloudis Mansion
Brief documentation:
The building was built by the tobacco merchant Vasilios Kougioumtzoglou in 1877, as indicated by the painted inscription above the door on the central balcony.
Initially, the building was used as a residence, until 1971 when the descendant of the family, Anna Kougioumtzoglou-Kaloudi (1884-1972), donated it to the House of Letters and Fine Arts of the Municipality of Xanthi. The building was restored in 1998 and since then it houses services of the Municipality of Xanthi.
It is an angular, two-story building of eclectic architecture, with Romanesque and literary elements. Externally and internally its layout is symmetrical. The building has two entrances, one on Orfeos Street and the central one on Antika Street. The special features of the building are the stonework made of hewn local granite and Mandra stone (sandstone), the rich exterior painting decoration throughout the building and the beveled corner created at the junction of the two streets.
In addition, on the vertical axis of the entrance, the building protrudes, to emphasize the dominant element of the façade, which is the entrance and the balcony. The main façade is also emphasized by the arched lintels, both on the door on Antika Street, but also on the windows and door to the balcony, while all other openings are rectangular. The cast iron works are probably of French origin, protect the openings of the semi-basement and the ground floor, but are also used for the construction of the balcony.
Inside the building, rooms develop around a central hall. There is painting decoration, wooden floors and wooden ceilings, as well as large openings of the balcony door and windows, which ensure plenty of light.
Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST
History:
The building was built by the tobacco merchant Vasilios Kougioumtzoglou in 1877, as indicated by the painted inscription above the door on the central balcony. Initially, the building was used as a residence, until 1971 when the descendant of the family, Anna Kougioumtzoglou-Kaloudi (1884-1972), donated it to the House of Letters and Fine Arts of the Municipality of Xanthi. The building was restored in 1998 and since then it houses services of the Municipality of Xanthi.
Elements of architecture:
It is an angular, two-story building of eclectic architecture, with Romanesque and literary elements. Externally and internally its layout is symmetrical. The building has two entrances, one on Orfeos Street and one on Antika Street.
The special features of the building are the stonework made of hewn local granite, the rich exterior painting decoration throughout the building and the beveled corner created at the junction of the two streets. In addition, on the vertical axis of the entrance, the building protrudes, to emphasize the dominant element of the façade, which is the entrance and the balcony. The main façade is also emphasized by the arched lintels, both on the door on Antika Street, but also on the windows and door to the balcony, while all other openings are rectangular. The cast iron works are probably of French origin, protect the openings of the semi-basement and the ground floor, but are also used for the construction of the balcony.
Inside the building, rooms develop around a central hall. There is painting decoration, wooden floors and wooden ceilings, as well as large openings of the balcony door and windows, which ensure plenty of light.
Description of other elements:
Of particular interest in the Kaloudis mansion are the exterior painting decoration, the cast iron works and the small, triangular terrace, created above the entrance, on Orfeos Street.
Purpose - Use: Residence ,Administrative building
Characterization: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Culture, Decision C/11/63051, Government Gazette 73/Β/86
Dating (period): Last quarter of the 19th century
Year of construction: 1877
Monument location: 41.14339, 24.88794
Bibliographic references:
• Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: Municipality of Xanthi, p. 51
Address: Orfeos 35
Visitable: No