After many years of delays, it has been decided that the old Athens Airport, Hellinikon, is to become the largest city park in Europe. The original terminal, designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen, who also designed the famous TWA terminal at JFK and the main terminal at IAD, will be preserved, but sadly the old Olympic aircraft look will probably be broken up.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ ... index.html
I sincerely hope Aviationtag or some other company that produces recycled aircraft parts, will turn parts of the old 747 (and/or) 727 into keyrings or other parts. It would be interesting to see inside either of these aircraft before they are broken up, but I guess that's unlikely to happen.
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Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
I am not sure about whether they will be broken up. Not just yet. It is rumoured that something good is about to happen but we’ll have to wait until mid January to have some more definitive proof. Certainly the “developers” or whatever they really are, are far from friendly and some political intervention will be needed. They want to pull down everything and if they could, even the Saarinen building would have been demolished...
Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
Yes, I don't know why CNN is reporting it now. Demolitions and preliminary works started in 2020.
Yes, it was delayed for years, for a mix of reasons, including NIMBY opposition.
Half of it will be a park, and the other half will be developed into residential, hotel, commercial/office, retail, etc. Here's a video about it from the developer.
The Saarinen building is the only thing worth saving.
Yes, it was delayed for years, for a mix of reasons, including NIMBY opposition.
Hellinikon, is to become the largest city park in Europe.
Half of it will be a park, and the other half will be developed into residential, hotel, commercial/office, retail, etc. Here's a video about it from the developer.
They want to pull down everything and if they could, even the Saarinen building would have been demolished...
The Saarinen building is the only thing worth saving.
Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
Even though Saarinen's airport terminals were great, ATH always seemed like his weakest one
On one hand I would love to preserve, on the other I don't mind seeing it bulldozed
On one hand I would love to preserve, on the other I don't mind seeing it bulldozed
Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
Garuda200 wrote:Even though Saarinen's airport terminals were great, ATH always seemed like his weakest one. I don't mind seeing it bulldozed
Don’t judge a book by its cover, my friend. You should have seen it when it opened in 1969. I saw it when I was ten, one night in 1970 and it was like a marble palace like the Athens Hilton inside. The night flatters interiors a lot along with proper lighting. Now as about your not minding seeing it bulldozed, you side with the “developer” who won’t be equal to Eero Saarinen.
Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
All of my memories of the terminal are from the 90’s. So not great ones.
Speaking of marble I remember getting off the bus from the TWA flight and watching a poor woman slip and fall on the wet marble steps into the terminal.
The state that the terminal is in is not preservation. It’s much worse and it’s time to be put out of its misery. How the country has allowed the area is deteriorate into the state it is in for 20 years should be a crime.
Speaking of marble I remember getting off the bus from the TWA flight and watching a poor woman slip and fall on the wet marble steps into the terminal.
The state that the terminal is in is not preservation. It’s much worse and it’s time to be put out of its misery. How the country has allowed the area is deteriorate into the state it is in for 20 years should be a crime.
Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
24Whiskey wrote:
How the country has allowed the area to deteriorate into the state it is in for 20 years should be a crime.
This! I couldn’t agree more. You see, the Greeks have learned to live with ruins to the point they think its natural.
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Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
I like that statement. 
Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
Garuda200 wrote:Even though Saarinen's airport terminals were great, ATH always seemed like his weakest one
Agreed.
It was "inspired" by Classical Greek architecture. Any time a modern architect comes to Greece and does that, they always give us something underwhelming.
Either build an old-school classical/neoclassical building, or just make it modern.
Garuda200 wrote:On one hand I would love to preserve, on the other I don't mind seeing it bulldozed
Same.
Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
24Whiskey wrote:How the country has allowed the area is deteriorate into the state it is in for 20 years should be a crime.
People forget that "the state" is not a single entity. In a democracy -and this is far from unique to Greece- you have several interest groups and political parties, and ideologies, and NIMBYs, that can all slow something down and drag it through the courts. That's what happened here. And then potential investors have to pitch their bids, and the best one is selected.
Re: Hellinikon (Athens to become city park
gzm wrote:Garuda200 wrote:Even though Saarinen's airport terminals were great, ATH always seemed like his weakest one. I don't mind seeing it bulldozed
Don’t judge a book by its cover, my friend. You should have seen it when it opened in 1969. I saw it when I was ten, one night in 1970 and it was like a marble palace like the Athens Hilton inside. The night flatters interiors a lot along with proper lighting. Now as about your not minding seeing it bulldozed, you side with the “developer” who won’t be equal to Eero Saarinen.
Sorry I didn't know that, I never saw ATH Hellinikon in its prime state, just images of its ruined state
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