As a Greek born in Turkey and thus subject to Ottoman rule, Bodossakis understood the historical importance of rescuing the official documents of the Greek Nation, which were stored under unsuitable conditions, scattered in warehouses at five different locations of Athens.
Thus, in 1976 he made a grant that covered the cost of the construction of a building where the General State Archives would be housed. In current prices, the amount of that grant was equivalent to €4,000,000. The building’s foundation stone was laid in 1982 by the Ministry of Culture and the project was completed in November 2003. The General State Archives were thus housed in a modern, up-to-date building of 7,000 square metres, with underground storage areas in 3 levels and a 70-seat reading room.
In addition to the original grant, the Foundation also made a new, substantial grant in 2003 to contribute to the final stages of the project’s completion. Since then, the Foundation has repeatedly funded various initiatives of the General State Archives, as well as the upgrading of its systems.
