Zappeion Hall

In 1869, the Greek Parliament seized 80,000 square metres (860,000 sq ft) of public land between the Palace Gardens and the ancient Temple of Olympian Zeus. It passed a bill on 30th November 1869 concerning the facilities of the Olympic Games, as Zappeion was the first building to be erected specifically for the revival of the Olympic Games in the modern world. The ancient Panathenian stadium was also renovated for this cause. After certain delay, on 20th January 1874, the cornerstone of the building was laid; this new building would be designed by Danish architect Theophil Hansen. Finally, on 20th October 1888, Zappeion was inaugurated. Unfortunately, Evangelos Zappas, he did not live long enough to see Zappeion finished. Therefore, it was his cousin, Konstantinos Zappas, who completed the building. The Austrian Parliament building was also designed by Hansen and its exterior followed the same architectural pattern.