LIM_467

Address: Agkiras 84 The building is located on Agkiras street, the heart of the social and commercial life of the Turkish community of Limassol, before its relocation. It is unclear when the building was built, although it must be around 1940. The original use of the building was mixed residential and commercial, as it is the case with the most buildings of this street. The walls of the structure are made of stone and adobe while the roof consists of timber and tiles. All door and window frames are made of wood. Interesting elements of the building include the curved furrows, the false columns of the façade, the skylights and the arches on the façade and in the interior. Originally, each of the four arc frames next to the main entrance used to have a wooden door that provided access to the shops of the ground floor. The first-floor timber balcony (sahnisi) in the inner yard of the north side is a newer addition. It was declared a listed building in 1988. In 1998, in an agreement with the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service, the building was leased to a Greek Cypriot in order to be renovated and transformed into an art gallery. The renovation included a total repairing and conservation of the building as well as modifications in the interior spaces. In particular the renovation, completed after 2000, included the complete repair and conservation of the building façade. The exterior masonry was cleaned, repaired, completed and restored to its original form. The arch openings of the façade were closed with glass. Visible stone was cleaned and already existing timber was maintained and had its worn parts replaced. The frames, doors, floors and other morphological elements were restored and reconstructed according to their original condition and the traditional standards of the area and the floor was also levelled. The roof was repaired and conserved by removing and repositioning the tiles. The existing traditional coatings were repaired and reconstructed. In order for the building to function as gallery, a number of new spaces were required. In the interior, several dividing walls were erected and others were demolished to divide or unite spaces. In more detail, the shops of the ground floor were integrated with the sun room to create a bigger exhibition area which was connected to the new office and kitchen spaces by creating new openings. On the exterior, a new toilet and warehouse was constructed at the back of the building.