Nikolaos Mitsakis

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

Nikolaos Mitsakis (August 20, 1899 – April 25, 1941) was one of the first architects to represent the modernist movement in Greece, contributing significantly to the modernization of Greek school buildings and to shaping the architectural identity of the country during the interwar period.

He was born on August 20, 1899, in Pyrgos, in the region of Ilia, and from 1904 he lived in Athens, where he later pursued his studies. On his mother's side, he was descended from the French philhellene Saunier. In 1917, he enrolled in the School of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), where he was among the first group of students following the school’s establishment, after a failed attempt to enter the School of Civil Engineering. He graduated in 1921 and was immediately conscripted, serving in the Asia Minor Campaign.

In 1926, he was appointed to the Technical Works Department of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. Between June and October 1930, and again from June 1931, he assumed the position of head of the Study Office for New School Buildings. From 1931 to 1933, he also served as Assistant for Building Typology under Ernest Hébrard at NTUA.

Nikolaos Mitsakis was a close friend of Dimitris Pikionis, whose influence is clearly visible in Mitsakis’ early work. For example, the lateral openings in the Karamanos residence (by Pikionis) are echoed in the architectural design of the "Aristotelis" Girls' Gymnasium (by Mitsakis). The two architects also collaborated on the apartment building on Heyden Street, creating one of the most characteristic works of the era. However, Mitsakis soon developed his own personal architectural idiom, blending classical elements (such as pilasters) with the rigor of clean volumes and the regular arrangement of openings typical of modernist architecture. An example of this approach is the Practical Lyceum in Ampelokipi.

Furthermore, Mitsakis appears to have studied Le Corbusier’s work in depth, incorporating in his early designs elements such as the grid lines of the famous Villa at Garches. At the same time, he is recognized for having contributed to the shaping of a “Greek” version of modernist architecture, combining elements of the international modernist school with references to Greek tradition, using local materials and morphological elements from classical and vernacular Greek architecture. However, this approach did not go unnoticed: although it had many supporters, Mitsakis’ early works (as well as those of Pikionis) were criticized by contemporary and later architects. For instance, Panagiotis A. Michelis stated, “It is not permissible, just because a [school] is located, say, in Ioannina, for it to resemble a house from Ioannina.” Nevertheless, this logic seems to underlie Mitsakis’ works in Kastoria and Dimitsana, where the buildings combine elements of the local traditional character with contemporary architectural movements.

Mitsakis himself had the opportunity to express his opposition to the indiscriminate imitation and repetition of Western architectural styles in one of his rare written records, in 1934, where he referred to his “inner reaction to the mimetic and uncontrolled repetition of the good or bad architectural forms of the West.”

In conclusion, Nikolaos Mitsakis was one of the most important representatives of modernism in Greece, as well as of the “national” architecture of the interwar period. Through his work, he offered significant architectural solutions, both functionally and morphologically, while simultaneously incorporating elements of Greek traditional culture. He provided a distinctive approach to the modernization of architecture in Greece during his time.

Nikolaos Mitsakis died prematurely on April 25, 1941, during the retreat of the Greek army, in a car accident in Skaramangas.

Architectural Works

Completed Projects

Gymnasium of Dimitsana, 1928

Practical Lyceum of Ampelokipi, 1928

School Complex of Agia Sofia on Iktinou Street, Thessaloniki, 1928–1932

Addition to Marasleio Teaching School, 1929–1930

Six-grade Elementary School in Kolonos, 1931

Twelve-grade Elementary School on Koletti Street, 1932

Higher Girls’ School of Thessaloniki, 1933

Koutsinas Residence in Volos (1933?)

Holy Monastery of Mega Spilaion, 1935–1936

Apartment Building on Heyden Street, 1937 (in collaboration with Dimitris Pikionis)

Chapel of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, courtyard of the 8th Unified High School of Athens

Unrealized Projects

Complex of three schools (Faculty of Science, Forestry, and Agriculture) and a student center in Thessaloniki (unexecuted)

School building in Dimitsana

Preliminary design for the Gymnasium of Naxos

Preliminary design for the Marlas School in Tinos

Entry in the MTPY competition for two memorials (National and Macedonian)

Entry in the competition for the Evangelistria Church in Tinos, 1930–1931, awarded Second Prize (First Prize not awarded), in collaboration with Kyriakos Panagiotakos

Hotel in Aidipsos – both this and the previous project were done in collaboration with Kyriakos Panagiotakos