The Stavros Niarchos Foundation invites the Greek State to accept delivery of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

Photo taken with a drone showing the illuminated city at night and the sea focusing on a large glass building surrounded by trees and with a lake in front of it

Source: Yorgis Yerolymbos

Ten years after the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) initially announced its intention to proceed with a large-scale grant for the creation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), the moment has finally arrived: the SNF invites the Greek State (GS) to accept delivery of the project and begin operating it for the benefit of society at large.

On December 29, 2016, the SNF will extend the official invitation to the GS, in order for the latter to certify the completion of the construction works and to initiate the delivery process of the SNFCC to its final owner, the Greek society, through the entities representing it.

By February 2017, the staffing of the organization SNFCC SA will be complete, and the new Board of Directors will be determined. In summation, the SNFCC SA is responsible for the management of all facilities, the operation of the Stavros Niarchos Park and the organization of cultural, educational and sports events at the SNFCC. The SNFCC SA organization is supervised by the Ministry of Finance. The SNFCC’s Board of Directors will have seven members, with two or three members originating from the Greek National Opera and the National Library of Greece, while the mayor of Kallithea will always be represented on the Board. The remaining members will be appointed by the Ministry of Finance.

Along with the delivery to the GS, the relocation process of the National Library of Greece (NLG) and the Greek National Opera (GNO) to the SNFCC also begins. Under the current timetable, the process is expected to be completed by October 2017. The two institutions will continue to expand their actions at the SNFCC and will also continue to be supervised by the competent Ministries of Education and Culture, respectively.

The SNF will withdraw fully from the project’s management and will have no involvement in the management of SNFCC SA or administration of any other involved organization. However, the Foundation intends to continue to actively support the SNFCC, at least for the next five years, with grants of up to €50 million. These grants will cover operating expenses for SNFCC SA, as well as programming and event costs for the SNFCC. Furthermore, the SNF intends to continue organizing—through exclusive grants—free to the public, one-week-long events at the SNFCC, every June.

The SNFCC creation process was long, though extremely concentrated for a project of such magnitude and complexity. So far, the Foundation’s total grant for the construction and equipping of the SNFCC has reached €617 million, a sum which includes two individual grants, totaling €5 million each, towards the NLG and the GNO, for supporting the transition to their new facilities.

Throughout the creation of the SNFCC, thousands of people contributed—employees of every specialty, construction and organization/operation consultants, the Special Advisory Committee of the GS (which monitored the project’s progress consistently, despite the changes in government), participants in apprenticeship programs and many others.

The synergies developed between experts in a multitude of projects, both in Greece and abroad, and the partnerships built between all the people who handled day-to-day tasks concerning the creation of the SNFCC, also constitute a significant part of the project’s legacy. These dynamic, durable and innovative synergies connected people from various countries and many different backgrounds, promoting the central philosophy of the SNFCC, that of a community which is open and receptive to all.

This spirited synergy has also been realized by visitors who flood the SNFCC daily and help make this enormous enterprise better day-by-day with their enthusiastic and constructive feedback.

On February 23, 2017, when the official delivery ceremony is scheduled to take place, the SNFCC—a contemporary and lively house open to all—will hand over the keys to its real owners, its present and future visitors.

Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the SNF stated: “We are proud to deliver the SNFCC to its final owner, the Greek society, with the highest standards and expectations. With the start of the New Year, a new era begins, both for the project and for all of us at the Foundation. We will now be able to remotely witness the growth of the SNFCC and contribute to it, to the best of our abilities, alongside our other grantmaking around the world. Apart from being the Foundation’s largest single grant, the SNFCC is a dream come true, something we wish to share with all those already embracing it with their presence.”