Nicosia, at the corner of Demosthenes Severis and Agion Omologiton Streets.
A corner that, for more than three decades, was much more than just another landmark on the capital’s map. It was The Corner. The legendary beer hall that became synonymous with an entire era and that no longer exists today, except in the memories of those who crossed its threshold. And it is perhaps ironic… that a corner that held so many stories within its walls ended up itself becoming a story written in ashes.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
For more than three decades, the Corner was a landmark for thousands of locals and visitors alike, a meeting place for all kinds of people. A place that brought people together and celebrated moments. A place full of memories.
A hangout for businesspeople, politicians, journalists, rockers, young people, and families. A Manchester United fan club…
The face of The Corner: Dinos. The well-known Dinos of Manchester, who, at the age of 25, took over the family business, transforming his father Stefanos’s former French-Cypriot restaurant—which first opened in 1977— into the famous English-style pub, which, after 33 years of uninterrupted operation, closed its doors in 2020 due to the coronavirus.
“On September 25, 1987, we opened and had a grand opening, and now, because of the coronavirus—since the restrictions will be a bit stricter and we’ll only be letting a few people in—I’m saying, ‘Enough, I’m tired,’ and I said I’ll stop.” The history of this stately mansion goes back many years… Its owner is Michael Pissas, the former General Secretary of SEK and later a diplomat.”
Nicole Pissas, co-owner of the historic mansion, explains that her father bought this particular house in 1960 because he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was across the street.
His daughter, Nicole Pissas, now a co-owner of the historic building, returns to a place that for her was never just an old house. It was the home of her childhood.
“This was my father’s office. Next to it was a large fireplace where we spent most of our time. This was the living-dining room with two fireplaces; the bedrooms were at the back. All in all, we stayed here for six years; because of my father’s work, we were constantly traveling back and forth between Cyprus and abroad.”
—What was the area like here?
—To be honest, it wasn’t very developed. There were very few houses; there weren’t that many buildings—mostly just fields. The Presidential Palace and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Read also: The Municipality is ready to contribute to the restoration of the Corner building; “its destruction wounds the memories of Nicosia’s residents”
Years later, that same house would take on a completely different life. It would become Corner. It would fill with people, voices, laughter, music, and countless stories. And when the pub’s doors were padlocked in 2020, no one could have imagined that the building would remain silent and abandoned for years.
Until August 5 of this year. A fire set maliciously—in an attempt by a young man, who was later arrested, to steal copper from the wires of the abandoned building—engulfed the historic landmark in flames. And within a few hours, a piece of the region’s history was destroyed.
Where once there were childhood memories, family moments, and later thousands of stories of the people of Nicosia, all that remained was charred wood, ashes, and rubble.
For Nicole Pissa, this scene was not merely the destruction of an old building. It was the loss of a piece of her very own life.
– How did you feel?
– Deep sadness. My childhood years spent here were lost; I watched the building collapse, catch fire, and be engulfed in flames, and there was nothing I could do.
During the more than six years that the mansion remained closed, Nicole Pissa’s family received offers to sell the historic building, which would have brought in a significant sum of money. They turned them down. Because, despite the fire and the destruction, she doesn’t want its story to end here. She wants to see it standing tall again. To see it come back to life.
“I want to repair it; I want it to undergo a complete renovation; I want to put my own touch on it—it’s part of my future plans; I want it to be the heart of Nicosia.”
The mansion that became a beer hall, the beer hall that became a landmark, and the landmark that became a memory now stands half-collapsed amid the rubble. Amid the charred debris and ruins, however, there remains something the fire failed to destroy: the stories. The groups of friends. The people who passed through there. And as the old mansion waits to be reborn, Corner will remain, for many, more than just a name and an address.
A corner of Nicosia that may have been wiped off the map, but has not been erased from the city’s memory.
