A mansion built in the previous century in the once thriving Suburbs District, has regained its former glory over the past 10 years and is filled with youthful voices, as its first residents would have liked.
At 9 Sparta Street, the Saporta mansion was completely renovated and since 2016 it has hosted the Youth Support Center of the ARSIS organization.
The history of the two-story mansion, with its exquisitely styled decorative elements on the exterior and the colorful frescoes with floral decorations on the interior, dates back to the beginning of the previous century.
In 1911, a large villa was built by the family of Joseph Saporta, among others, equally impressive that belonged to wealthy families. After all, the Countryside District was famous at that time for its elegant houses with large rooms and verandas that overlooked the sea. There were towering trees in the courtyards and in the basements the layout provided for the rooms of the servants and maids who helped with the chores. However, the Saporta family, of Jewish origin, did not stay in this house for long. It is unknown why they sold the villa around 1920 to the Pelosoffs. The Pelosoffs were originally from Spain and returned there a few years later, without their descendants currently existing in Thessaloniki.
In the city, the Pelosovs acquired a large fortune and, in addition to the Saporta mansion, they also owned the shops in the arcade that bears their name at 22 Tsimiski Street. The arcade with the shops was built in 1924 to designs by the architect Xenophon Paionides and was commercial, while in addition to the Pelosovs, the Amarilios and Pardos families also owned properties there. Until the war, the Polosov arcade housed the post office, but after the bombing of 1941 the space was evacuated. It then housed allied troops for a short time, specifically the Indian unit, but after the deadly earthquake of 1978 it remained empty, with the exception of the shops on the ground floor and a few offices on the first floor, while today it belongs, among others, to the president of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and the Central Jewish Council of Greece, as well as the vice president of the World Jewish Council, David Saltiel.
The architect of the Saporta mansion remains unknown, however it is considered certain that he was one of those who designed other mansions in the Countryside Quarter, such as Xenophon Paionidis and the Italians Pietro Arigoni and Vitaliano Pozzelli.
Later, the building was re-owned by new owners, who made alterations. The Muslim family that took it over built a sahnishi—a wooden stilt-like structure typical of many Balkan countries—and closed off the balcony and skylight above the main façade. The changes were intended to provide privacy, as the women of the house could watch the traffic on the street, but they themselves were invisible to passersby.
The years passed and the mansion retained its glory, but also its original name "Saporta", which is how it is known even today. In 1987 it was classified as a work of art, but it had already changed owners and was then in the possession of V. Raftopoulos and K. Vidalis. The building was not used and time passed mercilessly over it. The walls, the courtyard, the exquisite decorations, everything began to deteriorate, while due to the alterations it was declassified as a work of art in 1992. In the interim, the owners changed, but the Saporta mansion remained abandoned until in 1996 it was found as the property of the Charisesi Nursing Home and K. Georgiadis-K. Raftopoulos and was classified as a listed building and since 2016, after a major renovation, it houses the Youth Support Center-ARSIS.
Its glorious past is evident today in the walls where there are excellent frescoes with floral decorations, but also in the unique ceiling, painted in earthy colors and decorated with flowers. The wooden staircase, the wooden entrance door and the wooden staircase have also been preserved.
Architecturally, the building belongs to the eclectic movement, while also featuring elements of neoclassicism, and is an undeniable testament to the historical continuity of the city. The sculptural decoration on its exterior reflects the prestige of its original and subsequent owners.
Due to its use as a Youth Support Center-ARSIS and the hosting of children and young people, the interior space has been appropriately designed, however, parts of the frescoes were preserved which, in their original use, would certainly have covered a larger area of the wall.
There is not much information about the history of the Saporta mansion, and even less about the family itself. Its roots begin in Thessaloniki, but along the way some members perished in the Holocaust, others fled to Israel, some are found in Casablanca, and this surname is still found in the city today.
At least for a while, the mansion would have known glorious days with the Saportas. Laughter, voices and songs would have been heard on the ground floor and the first floor, wealthy businessmen from Thessaloniki would have climbed the stairs. Joseph Saportas, along with his relatives and friends, would have spent carefree moments, perhaps even closing some important business deal or even discussing the political and economic developments of Greece and Europe. Who knows? History has a habit of never ending and there will always be aspects of it that escape even the most meticulous scholar....
*Photos provided by the Youth Support Center-ARSIS
SOURCE: VORIA.GR, 04/05/2025, by Maria Ritzaleou