26, Gianni Chronaki St – Mansion of Bey Rasih Asprakis (Chronakis House)
The mansion of Bey Rasih Asprakis, a wealthy Ottoman wholesale merchant, is today known as the Chronakis House. The surviving building originally formed part of a much larger residential complex, covering an area of 1,456 sq m and comprising five ground-floor rooms, five upper-floor rooms, an olive-oil store, three storage rooms, four courtyards, three exits, a stone-built garden enclosure, a cistern, and a well.
The preserved structure constitutes a notable example of Balkan architecture incorporating elements of Neoclassicism. Its volumetric arrangement is complex, as the building develops around a sequence of open-air and semi-open courtyards paved with pebble mosaics. The ground floor, as well as parts of the upper floor, are constructed in rubble stone masonry, while the remaining sections of the building employ timber-lath and plaster (çatma) construction.
Wood is the dominant structural and morphological element of the building. Of particular significance are the interior timber structures, including ceilings, built-in storage cupboards (musandras), and partition screens, which represent outstanding examples of the architectural principles characteristic of this group of buildings. The painted decoration of the principal interior spaces is of special interest, distinguished by its thematic variety and vivid colour palette.