The reaction of lawyer Takis Gatsopoulos to the work at the Tripoli Courthouse (pics, video)

The Courthouse of Tripoli has been classified as a historical monument and a work of art with the number YA YPPO/DILAP/G/3623/ 54270/16-10-2001 (Government Gazette 1371/t. B΄/18-10-2001).

Lately, the “Building Infrastructures SA”, a construction agency of the Hellenic State, has been working on this emblematic building of the city, with the statues of the proud Judges Tertsetis and Polyzoidis facing the Andriandas of Theodoros Kolokotronis and the unique engravings on the walls of its basement messages and murals of prisoners of the Resistance and post-conflict trials.

First of all, without any serious consultation with the citizens of the city, its institutions and the bodies involved, and despite the strong proposal expressed for decades and also recently for the transformation of this building into a Panhellenic Museum of the Struggles of Independence of the Greek People, it was chosen without coercion the continuation of its operation as a Court House.

In fact, the transfer of the Services there to another modern building and the concentration in it of the Administrative Court of Appeal of Tripoli and the Administrative Court of First Instance of Tripoli and other related services of the Ministry of Justice, which are currently housed scattered in rented buildings, could not only serve them perfectly citizens and workers, but it would also constitute the basic background of the city’s just request for the operation of a civil and criminal Court of Appeal of the Peloponnese Region in Tripoli.

But regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with the above solution, as carelessly as it was chosen in my opinion, it was just as casually decided what will be done in this particular building:

The project in the context of which these works are being carried out, according to the posted sign, is entitled “Restoration of damage and repairs to the Tripoli Courthouse”, financed by the Public Investment Program, i.e. not by European funds, it costs 1,450,000 euros , i.e. equal to the construction of 1,000 to 1,500 sq.m. new modern building!!!

But as we have found out all of us who live and work in the building, as well as those of our fellow citizens who found themselves in it, act, apart from the misleading title of the project, without any information, if not under inexplicable secrecy about their type and extent and new works the which vandalize this unique building for our city, a city already after 1980 abused and deforested of beautiful older buildings.

Particularly:

a) The first cooling-heating system is installed and in order to connect its monstrous pipes, which are more suitable for entertainment centers and steakhouses… it was necessary to drill dozens of holes in the almost one meter wide walls, hurting its frame, while to cover them, it is planned to reduce the height of the ceiling of the corridors and offices of the building with plasterboards.

But the reduction of the height of the building obviously takes away from the suggestiveness of the building, hides the original ornate undulating design of its roof and distorts its clean neoclassical lines, with the inevitable consequence of the visible alteration of its style and physiognomy and finally its unnecessary demotion of in an incomprehensible mix.

In fact, the specific tasks are completely inexplicable as completely unnecessary.

The proof is that there has NEVER been a similar request, both from the Administration of the Court of First Instance, (cross-checked responsibly), and from the Tripoli Bar Association and the Association of Court Clerks, and this is because the “high-ceilinged” building has its own natural ventilation and is cool in the summer, while in the winter it is served by central heating with an oil burner, easily convertible with modern data to natural gas.

In fact, as part of the work, the internal damages on the roof are not repaired, but they are hidden… by the plasterboard which, among other things, makes its future accessibility problematic, while visibly large machines are installed on the roof of the building.

b) A very massive elevator-monster of asymmetrical dimensions for the space is being constructed with surrounding ironwork in the inner uncovered courtyard area of ​​the building (atrium) which is “its breath”, its major architectural bioclimatic feature, apart from the needs of the building which would be perfectly served with a minimum lift dimensions.

In fact, the trend after the recent procedural amendments and others that are being promoted is reduced to a minimum the “lifetime” procedure before the Courts, so as to justify such a size of lift.

c) The self-evidently necessary access bar for disabled people is built on the facade of the building, which, however, with the particular poor choice of location and its crude way of concrete and cement blocks, burdens the facade and upsets the symmetry of the building, except that I think in in view of the number of related solutions, it is not functional even for our fellow citizens with mobility problems.

In fact, regarding the indisputable right of our fellow citizens with disabilities to access everywhere and much more to public buildings and public spaces, I declare in advance that I will not allow, on the occasion of my immediately above posting, any hint that I underestimate it or even oppose it, as not only grossly hypocritical but slyly emanating to populistly disorient and cover up the above least unfortunate option and through it the aforementioned new unnecessary building work.

But any restoration of damage to the building is completely sloppy, anarchic and unorthodox in terms of the order of work, with perimeter scaffolding remaining unused all winter and with poor workmanship of the lowest level of public works.

The covering of marble and tiles with a dark “laminate” floor, the coloring without any preliminary work on dusty walls, the excavation of the walls and the subsequent drilling of holes in their upper parts, the painting of cables, the after the paintwork, cleaning marbles of the staircase with a squeegee…, the abuse of the building’s historic furniture, the covering of devices with beach towels, the dangerous fixings in “split” constructions, the freshly painted ceilings that already “flew”, the unnecessary replacements, etc. .Pi.

Because as lawyers but also as citizens, we have no right to turn a deaf ear to the wanton waste of public money, respecting the work of the Greek People and unnecessarily tolerating an architectural “kitsch” crime in the most emblematic building of the city.

Because in addition as Tripoli lawyers we have an increased responsibility to keep the Court House unscathed, the tolerance that has paid us and belittles us should stop.

With the above data expressed by I think almost all of my colleagues, I raised the issue a month ago at the General Assembly of our Association and requested from the 15th the urgent convening of the Council of the Tripoli Bar Association for its immediate actions in every direction to prevent further and under a regime of legality, this gold paid for by the delay of our tested People.

PS I am sure that our fellow citizens whom I invite to visit the building will enrich my perspective and criticism as a citizen and active in the area above.

Takis Gatsopoulos-Lawyer

Press release