Greek Art Replicas to Find New Home in Athens

ODAP’s Hellenic Heritage shop in Athens. Photo source: Ministry of Culture.

Greece’s Cultural Resources Management and Development Organization (ODAP), responsible for all Greek official artifact reproductions, will get a new state-of-the-art design and production house, according to a recent Culture Ministry announcement.

The Central Council of Contemporary Monuments approved the 5.2 million euros project which aims to transform Building A of the former Tsaousoglou Office Furniture Factory on Peiraios Street in Athens, in a multiform space.

The building will house ODAP’s modern replica lab, as well as an exhibition area showcasing the organization’s work, a shop and a café, all open to the public.

The old factory’s building, which is to become ODAP’s new facility, is a typical example of 1970s industrial architecture and until recently was used, among other buildings of the Peiraios 260 venue, by the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, housing exhibitions, talks, performances, and an indoor parking area.

“ODAP has entered a new era that calls for an operational upgrade to meet future demand,” said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni adding that once Building A is renovated it will be “a modern, safe and functional space…breathing new life into a historical monument of industrial architecture that is of particular social and technological interest.”

According to the approved plan, ODAP’s replica production area will take up a large part of the ground floor of the three-story building, which will also host a storage space.

Part of the design and production lab will extend to the first floor and will be visible by people stopping by the exhibition area, offering them a firsthand experience on how Greek art and artifacts sold at the country’s museums and licensed souvenir shops are made.

Once fully functional, the space is expected to boost the Culture Ministry’s revenue by improving its art reproductions’ sales and will operate alongside the adjacent Greek School of Fine Arts and other cultural venues and museums located in the area.