THE ARCHITECTURAL PROGRESS OF POROS ...

The Architectural progress of Poros

The first period of local folkloric architecture, up to the year 1800, is characterized by stone buildings.

A) Small floor plans, shaped in either elongated rectangles or right angles, adjusted to the bas-relief of the ground. The front side facing the road is narrow yet it has depth, as it follows the land inclination, offering one floor in the front part of the building and two in the rear section.

B) Larger rectangular-shaped floor plans. The dimension of the façade is bigger than its volume. These are the wide frontal buildings where their height and volume is greater than the previous ones. These buildings are called “kapetaneika”, meaning captains’ homes, which is basically an expression of wealth.

These two types of buildings rarely have the same height in the front as in the back. During this period, there are very few buildings used for commercial purposes on the ground floor and residences on the first floor.

Both narrow and wide frontal buildings have the same structural characteristics:

• Trowel plasters
• Asymmetry of side openings
• Wooden frames
• Facing the external wall
• External glass plates
• Internal nailed shutters
• Wooden balconies with straight, iron rods and light metal guardrails

In the second period (1800-1830), even though the floor plans basically remain the same in having the same proportions, their height seems to be increasing. The construction of three story buildings starts to appear. Their volume is quite impressive.

After the Revolution, especially after the establishment of the Supply Center and the National Fleet’s Naval Base, the architectural configuration of Poros is of exceptional importance.

The most important features of the town of Poros during this time are the organized urban growth and the way in which the structure of the socio-economic hierarchy is reflected in the area. This is clearly revealed in the architecture. One can see the aristocratic facades that also grant a folkloric touch.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEO-CLASSICAL TOWN

The first plan to construct sea banks indicated a new era. The beach zone was molded from long artificial mounds of soil and the development of the neo-classical town began. Primarily, it extended along the coast and is distinguished by its urban configuration. Its main feature is the common design having neo-classical elements.

The initial town plan of 1900 was applied to the entire residential area. It involved extensive rebuilding and the widening of roads in the rocky peninsula of Kastelli. Assorted changes gradually led to the deterioration of its picturesque and metropolitan appearance.

There are hardly any differences between the city of the 19th century and the one existing today due to the rocky nature of the land. The white stone houses with the tiled roofs that either extend to the sea or reach the edges of cliffs, with monuments and statues of heroes, such as the one of Kapodistria located at the first Supply Center of the National Fleet (Junior and High School area of Poros), of philhellenes, admirals, etc….

There were, and still are, a numerous amount of buildings known for their architecture, providing elements of the neo-classical design such as: the National Bank, the store “Griva” in St. George, the home of Karras, the first Elementary School, Villa “Galini”, etc…

Many other buildings with remarkable structural features shown belong to: Karadimas, Kizonis, N. Samponis, Pagonis, Sp. Vettas, N. Vatikiotis, G. Samponis, Papageorgiou, Korizis (museum), K. Sarantopoulos, Moropoulos, Papaoikonomou, Syxeris, Liamidis, the hotel “Manesi”, Koularmanis, Spiros Drouzinas, K. Sampanis and many others.