Two of the most significant engineers for the city of Heraklion—and particularly for the buildings along 25th August Martyrs Avenue during the period of Autonomy—were Dimitriοs Kyriakòs and Konstantinos Tsantirakis. Both architects also served as engineers of the 2nd Public Works District during the first two decades of the 20th century.

Law 332/1901, Chapter B, defined the professionals entitled to prepare urban planning projects, stipulating that such work should be entrusted to state engineers or to qualified engineers, architects, or master builders. This legislation contributed to an increase in the issuance of planning permits, enabling Tsantirakis and Kyriakòs to undertake a considerable number of private building commissions.

Konstantinos Tsantirakis was among the most prolific architects active in the Municipality of Heraklion, undertaking both municipal and private commissions, which he was permitted to pursue concurrently until 1907. In the following year, he worked exclusively as a private architect, before returning in 1909 to sign projects once again in his capacity as a municipal engineer. His final designs date to 1927. Among his most notable works are the G. Karouzos–A. Theiakaki Mansion (now Alpha Bank) and the mansion of the Lysandros Kalokairinos family (today the Historical Museum of Crete), erected on the site of an earlier building destroyed by fire in 1898.

Dimitriοs Kyriakòs joined the Public Works Service as an engineer in 1904. His earliest signatures as Municipal Supervising Engineer date to February of that year, while on 10 December 1906 he issued his first building permit, for a property owned by Georgios Semertzakis. From 1905 to 1907 he served as Prefectural Engineer of the 2nd Public Works District. By 14 August 1913, he appears to have designed some thirty buildings in the city of Heraklion.

Kyriakòs was responsible for numerous private commissions, including the Liopyraki Mansion, the Florida, Pallas and Minos hotels, and the building of the Bank of Crete, all located in Vezir Çarşi (today’s 25th August Martyrs Avenue). Further works include the Logiadou residence at the junction of Averof and Zografou Streets, the Tsachakis house on Thessaloniki Street, and many others.