In the area of the University of Agronomy of Athens on Hiera Odos lie the architectural remnants of the Voevode of Athens Hatzi-Ali’s mansion.These ruins, along with two buildings in the early style of Classicism of the Ottonian period and the perennial trees of the first Botanical Gardens of Greece, form an important part of the historical town-plan in modern Athens. The Ottonian buildings have been restored relatively recently and are presently being used by the university. The restoration and promotion of the historic gardens and Turkish remnants will offer Athens one more historic place of reference, in which elements of architecture and gardening of the 18th and 19th centuries will he harmoniously combined. The twenty-two years of Hatzi-Ali Hasseki’s tyranny (1774-1776) are characterized, among others, by the avid appropriation of foreign property, which the Athenians were forced to cultivate. After the liberation of Athens from Turkish rule in 1833, the entire Hesseki property passed to the Greek state. Since 1838 the estate was gradually turned into a Botanical Gardens, then to an Agricultural University and finally to the Agronomy University of Athens. From the former Hatzi-Ali’s mansion, only a part of the main wing has survived. This tower-like sructure had a series of embrasures instead of windows on the ground floor, while its entrance, which was on the first floor, was accessible through a suspension bridge. The so-called “Hasseki’s fountain”, dating from the 18th century, is still preserved intact to the east of the building, one meter below the present level οf Hiera Odos.
The Old Greenhouse, although of different provenance, is another important feature of the estate. It has recently been furnished with a new iron framework, a replica of the old one, and with modern equipment.
