In the 46 years of his career, architect Ernst Ziller (1837 – 1923) designed more than 500 buildings across Greece. Born in Germany, he was sent to Athens in 1861 by his employer, Danish architect Theophil Hansen. Ziller eventually became a Greek citizen, married Greek musician Sofia Doudou and died in Athens.
He left an impressive legacy, defining Athen’s prevailing neoclassical aesthetic after the War of Independence, to the extent that some have dubbed 19th century Athens as ‘Ziller’s Athens’. His architectural style, incorporating North Italian Renaissance and Byzantine influences, resonate in buildings like the National Theatre of Greece and the presidential residence in Athens, and reaching further with the Archaeological Museum in Milos and the Metropolitan Church of Saint Gregory Palamas in Thessaloniki. In 1881, Ziller designed a mansion in Athens for merchant Efstathios Stathopoulos, located in Psiri.
“The building was zoned for dual use, with shops on the ground floor, and the owner’s residence on the first and second floors. Over the years, it served other purposes, although mainly on the ground floor until it was finally abandoned,” shared Eleni Chatziioannou. Chatzzioannou is the cheery, hospitable manager for Monument Hotel, which, as you would have guessed, is the building’s latest reincarnation .
Opened in April 2023, its owner is Grigoris Tolkas, who started his hospitality business in 2014 with the Canvas Suites tucked within Santorini’s.