A large circular table, beneath the iconic glass dome of the Arsakeio Arcade, dominates the center of the historic Mansion and encapsulates the philosophy of the entire venture. Around it, trees and dining areas compose a new “urban square” inside the building, designed to bring people, flavors, and experiences together.
What was created is not simply a dining space, but a meeting place, where the Mediterranean culture of the shared table is transformed into a daily experience. It is precisely from this point that the new era of the Arsakeio Arcade begins, which was officially presented yesterday and opens its gates to the public during July, aspiring to become a new landmark for Athens, both for its residents and its visitors.
The historic Arsakeio Mansion is opening a new chapter in its long course, following its extensive restoration and reuse, with the aim of becoming a contemporary destination that combines gastronomy, culture, creativity, market, and education, bringing back to the forefront an emblematic space of Athenian daily life.
The presentation of the project took place in the Mansion’s atrium, marking the completion of an effort that began as an idea more than a decade ago and took official form in 2019, when the contract was signed between the Philekpaideftiki Etairia and Legendary Food.
The company undertook for 35 years the redevelopment and utilization of approximately 13,000 of the total 25,000 square meters of the Arsakeio Mansion, with the aim of giving it new life while preserving its historical and architectural character.
According to the figures presented, the total investment amounts to approximately 40 million euros. Of this, 22 million euros were invested by Legendary Food and another 18 million euros by the tenants who will operate in the Arcade.
The financing of the redevelopment project was supported by Alpha Bank, while Crediabank undertook the financing of the vision for the promotion and advancement of small & medium Greek producers in the center of Athens.
The goal is for the space in the first phase to welcome daily 8,000 to 10,000 visitors. This is an area where, within a radius of a few hundred meters, thousands of people work every day, creating the conditions for the development of a new point of reference in the commercial and cultural center of the capital.
The shareholder structure of Legendary Food includes Contner Holdings Ltd, of the shipping family Oikonomou, businessman Evangelos Kontzias, Peter Economides, and Panos Triantafyllopoulos, who supported the implementation of the venture through investment.
The main speaker of the presentation was the CEO of Legendary Food, Panos Triantafyllopoulos, who in recent years had been at the construction site every day, coordinating the progress of the project and dealing with a series of technical, construction, and bureaucratic challenges.
As he characteristically stated, the investment functions as an “electric shock” for the area, wanting to describe the positive imprint it aspires to create in the historic center of Athens. As he noted, the vision for the revival of the Arcade was not born in an office, but through travels in the Greek countryside and acquaintance with the people of production.
The goal was to create a destination that would highlight Greek production as an integral part of our cultural heritage.
The restoration was carried out with respect for the history of the Mansion, the construction of which began in 1846, based on designs by architect Lysandros Kaftantzoglou. To reinforce the building’s structural stability, more than 300,000 liters of cement injections were needed, while all modern infrastructure was integrated without altering the identity of the historic complex.
The new Arcade does not aspire to be merely another commercial destination. but rather creates a complete ecosystem organized around five main pillars. Gastronomy, Market, Creativity, Culture, and Education, which together compose nine different experiences within the Arsakeio Mansion.
Specifically, visitors will encounter the Free University of the Philekpaideftiki Etairia, the Karolos Koun Art Theater, the Europa Experience of the European Parliament with free admission, retail stores, a space dedicated to Greek food products, ten different gastronomic experiences, nutritional education activities, five spaces dedicated to Greek creators, as well as a rich program of cultural events that will make use of the atrium and the Mansion’s other common areas.
At the heart of the Arcade is the unified dining area, which develops beneath the glass dome, the architectural point of reference of the complex. There stands the large circular communal table, around which the dining spaces are arranged.
Visitors will be able to choose food from different points, sit together regardless of their choices, and share the same experience. As was emphasized during the presentation, the basic idea is not only the creation of yet another dining space, but the revival of Mediterranean culture, where people who may not know each other share the same table, meet, talk, and create new social relationships.
As Panos Triantafyllopoulos has pointed out, the Mediterranean diet is not only the products and raw materials, but above all the way people sit at the same table, share dishes, and communicate.
This experience will also be supported by a special digital application, through which visitors will be able to order from different dining points, creating a single basket with products from different stores and completing their purchase with just one payment.
They will then be notified when their orders are ready for pickup, while there will also be a special service point (delivery point) for orders intended for outside the Arcade.
Under the Market pillar, a new-generation grocery store will operate, with more than 4,000 product codes from more than 300 small producers from every corner of Greece, while there will also be an open preparation area, where raw materials will be transformed daily into pies, sandwiches, and other products.
At the same time, spaces dedicated to Greek creativity, cultural activities, and education are being created, while the historic Karolos Koun Art Theater remains an integral part of the Mansion. The atrium and the rooftop are expected to host concerts, theatrical performances, film screenings, and other events, while the Europa Experience is expected to become another attraction for residents and visitors.
The Arsakeio Arcade aspires to reconnect Stadίου, Panepistimiou, Pesmazoglou, and Arsaki streets, transforming a historic passage of Athens into a vibrant everyday space. A space where Greek production, gastronomy, culture, creativity, and education coexist under the same roof, creating a new urban landmark that seeks to bring back to the center the very concept of Mediterranean culture. The meeting, cooperation, and coexistence of people with culture at the center.
with information from ANA-MPA