The Bey Zekeriya (or Sekeriadaki) Konak was constructed in the Balta cami neighborhood of Herakleio historic centre circa 1880s. It was one of the new mansions built by the Cretan city’s merchants, as many of the preexisting manors were severely damaged after the 1856 earthquake. The listed building belongs to the Mplavaki-Kalogeraki family and during the past decades was used as a music conservatoire, while its future compatible reuse is under elaboration.
The mansion, reached through 15, Apokoronou str., was constructed at the southern part of a large paved courtyard with a decorative fountain (şadirvan) and a fountain house, adorned with Renaissance features. It extends in three levels: i. the ground floor, at the form of a rectangle, is built with masonry construction and is equipped with four rooms, including the main entrance hall with the spiral wooden staircase that leads to the first floor, the kitchen and a small private hamam, ii. the first floor presents a projecting bay balcony (şahnisi) following the same four-room layout pattern, built mainly with timber framing, as well as the iii. much smaller upper floor (attic). The Konak was initially constructed with a symmetrical five rooms space disposition and a centred main entrance hall, but 1/5 of its unit was demolished in late 1960’s.
The Bey Zekeriya mansion is characterised by a mix of local, Neoclassical and Eclectic architectural styles and is constructed with the use of the 0,758 m structural grid, an Ottoman feature traceable in many building’s elements.