Onassis Library Building

The impressive neoclassical building which today houses the Onassis Library has a long history of its own. Built in 1905, by Anastasios Metaxas, at the corner of Amalias Avenue and Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, it was originally the residence of the lawyer Georgios Orfanidis, an Egyptian Greek with interests in the cotton trade, and his wife Olga Saroglou, sister of Petros Saroglou who bequested the Sarogleion Mansion to the state. During the 1930s, it served as the family home of their daughter, Elisabeth Kalliga. Later, in around 1937-38, the Italian Archaeological School moved into the building, which would serve both as a School and the residence of its directors until 1950.

In 1989, the Onassis Foundation acquired the neoclassical building, in which the wear and tear of time and the reckless modifications dating back to the interwar period had altered both its façade and the interior spaces. By 1993, after an initial phase of architectural study, the architect Vassilis Tseghis completed the restoration of the building. In 2009, in the framework of supporting, promoting, and developing Education and Culture in Greece, the Onassis Foundation established the Onassis Library on the ground floor, designed by architect Konstantinos Sp. Staikos.

From 2016, the Onassis Library has opened its doors to the public for educational programs and cultural events with free admission for all.