Old customs

This is an interesting ground floor building surrounded by Bouboulina, Blessis and Otonos streets and occupies a building block (number 110). The building is owned by the Ministry of Finance, housed the Customs of Nafplio and served the traffic of the port of the city. Today the building does not house any use and is in good condition.

The building is made of isometric stone and is perfectly symmetrical. Its face is divided into three parts. There is a central arcade with three arches, a small protrusion and two extreme piers. The cornering stones are visible in the building while the remaining part of the wall is coated. The openings are arched, rectangular and round with a stone frame with a cornice and a key in the upper part of the frame. The building is covered with a four-cornered roof with stone cornice, imitating the fold-shaped curved cornice. The building can not be classified into a particular rhythm of buildings.

According to Stemni Karouzou's historical artwork, the customs seem to be the work of Stamatis Kleanthis. He attributes it on the one hand for emotional reasons, but on the other he reinforces this view with several arguments. Kapodistrias had appointed Kleanthis as the official architect of the Government and knowing that he had worked in Nafplion by building state-owned buildings attributed the plans of the customs office.

This building also has several common elements with the Palace of the Duchess of Plakentias (Byzantine Museum of Athens, proven by Kleanthi's work) as "the same isolation of the center and the preference for middle arches and the imagined tranquility". Finally, the office presents simple and rigid forms, highlighted with different materials, arches and window frames that are key features of Kleanthis architecture.

Originally, the date of the construction of the customs office dates back to 1830 but, according to some newer elements, it appeared to have been built after May 1835. It is understood from the Decree "on the establishment of transit in Nafplion and Patras" of 15/27 May 1835 that the regency decided The establishment of a transit shop in Nafplion.

Specifically, the customs office or "store for unfinished foreign territory" (as the decree states) is due to take place after 1/13 July 1835. Taking into account these new elements it is concluded that the building was not erected during Kapodistrias' It is of course not excluded that the project could have been commissioned since then in Kleanthis.

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