Xenophon Paionidis (1863-1933)

Xenophon Paionidis was born in 1863 in Fourka, Halkidiki, and pursued his early education at the Gymnasium of Thessaloniki before studying at the National Technical University of Athens. He continued his postgraduate studies at the Polytechnic University of Munich. His family originated from Edessa, and his father was a doctor who had studied at the University of Padua in Italy. Paionidis moved to Thessaloniki in 1892, where he became a significant figure in the city's architectural scene, collaborating with the Greek community in overseeing and constructing buildings of Greek national interest. Through his work, he played an important role in transferring Greek political ideologies into Ottoman-controlled Macedonia, particularly through educational buildings that reflected Neoclassicism, the national architectural style of Greece. Some of his early works include the Papafeio Orphanage and the Saint Dimitrios Hospital, both of which were completed in the early 20th century. He later designed the Ioannidis Civil School at the Ippodromio, the Analipsi Civil School, the house of doctor Ioannis Nedelkos on Egnatia Street, and the Pelosoft Arcade on Tsimiski Street. In the then outskirts of the city, he worked on projects such as the Chatzilazarou-Siaga Villa, the Hafiz Bey Villa (now the School for the Blind), the Mordoch Villa, and the Salem Villa, which once housed the Italian Consulate. Paionidis also served as a municipal councilor during the terms of Osman Sait Bey and Konstantinos Angelakis, and for a time, he managed the municipal technical services. He was elected senator of Halkidiki, superintendent of Thessaloniki's schools and the Papafeio Orfanage, and played a significant role in the Iraklis Gymnastics club of Thessaloniki. He passed away from a heart attack in May 1933 at the Monastery of Saint Anastasia Pharmakolytria. Pictured: Letter from the Board of Directors of the Iraklis Gymnastics club of Thessaloniki, dated October 21, 1914, to X. Paionidis. ©Iraklis New Gymnastics Club of Thessaloniki 1908.