Friday 14 December 2018

Waterfront sights

A waterfront hotel.   An island eyesore.
The hotel has been closed for many years as you can tell from its state.   It now has a demolition order on it.

The hotel is owned by various descendants of a rich ship owner,
most of whom are no longer rich enough to restore this dinosaur



From prime real estate to an eyesore.  From these now quakey balconies there is a sweeping view of harbour activity and the mountains beyond




This once elegant building was a danger to the public.  For years pieces of wall fell onto  the road.  Then , possibly through an EU grant, the walls were stabilised but that is as far as the repairs went.
I wonder what it is like inside.  The furnishings are probably antiques, the curtains in ribbons, but still aristocratic, a piece of local history

The EU gives a grant to reconstruct the old neo-classical stone buildings but the owner still has to put his hand into a pocket which has more holes than money.  There are strict rules to follow naturally.  All the older town around Poros harbour is supposed to follow certain guidelines.  Roofs should be tiled, shutters made from wood and not metal.  Not all houses follow the rules but generally it is a charming picture of island homes which appears before you as you arrive on Poros. 



Nearby the two run-down buildings is the beautifully restored building call the 'Syngrou', once a primary school and now used for exhibitions and talks.


Villa Galini
Once the meeting place of authors, artists and the elite of days gone by





A typical island house
Made of white washed stone, tiled roof, usually covered in bougainvillia with a balcony full of  fragrant basil plants in old oil cans







10 comments:

  1. oh that is sad, I hope it's restored one day.

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    1. I wish they would restore the hotel but I think it is a family inheritance horror. Different relatives now own different floors!

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  2. It’s sad to see building like this
    Why don’t they just sell it to someone who will buy and restore it

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    1. I don't think the relatives can even agree on selling these places. They're probably all in court

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  3. I remember a similar sight in Brighton (UK). The building was a danger, yet the facade was beautiful and important to the area. Permission was eventually given to demolish, but they had to retain the facade. It ended-up as a fabulous brand new building with an ancient frontage. Everyone was happy.

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    1. The old school was restored but the woman who wanted it legit to the council along with the restoration money. Took a few years but the end result is great

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  4. Great photographs. Good to see EU money being spent on worth while projects too. Hopefully they create a few jobs too?

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    1. EU money is usually wasted here but now and again t is used to the advantage f the people and the community.

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  5. Will they be forced to sell the hotel? So that someone may develop the land?

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    1. Too many relatives involved who can't agree I think but they'll be forced to do something with the hotel before it collapses. It's been like that about 15 years

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