Anairousis scoop factory

The Georgios Anairousis Scoop Factory of the Industrial Museum of Hermoupolis is located just a short distance east of the Katsimantis building. Founded in 1889 by Georgios Anairousis, a blacksmith from Andros, this was a family-run unit producing lead shot. The factory consists of the cooling tower, approximately 20 meters high, and the ground-floor structures surrounding it. Today it stands tall almost intact, embracing a significant part of its original mechanical equipment and tools, and is considered by the British Ironbridge Institute to be the most complete factory of its kind in all of Europe. In 1989, it was declared a preserved monument by the Directorate of Folk Culture of the Ministry of Culture. In 1995, it was acquired by the Municipality of Hermoupolis, with the intention of incorporating it into the museum complex that highlights the industrial heritage of Syros.

In 2010, a museological and architectural study was prepared under the direction of Kostis Bitzanis. The interventions made at this point were limited to the minimum necessary: reinforcement of the cooling tower, replacement of the deteriorated roof, preservation of the equipment, and cleaning of the interior space. The aim was to showcase the building as an autonomous museum unit that illustrates the process of producing lead shot.

After the building was preserved with the least possible intervention to its structure, in July 2010 the transformation of the Georgios Anairousis Scoop Factory into a museum was completed. In March 2011, the project received an award in the National Competition for Completed Architectural Works of the SADAS-PEA (Association of Architects Graduates of Higher Schools – Panhellenic Union of Architects), in the category “Artistic Intervention in a Building Shell.”

Today, a full restoration and upgrade of the building is underway, following a comprehensive study by the Technical Service of the Municipality. This study includes interventions such as the replacement of window frames, restoration of the tower, and other necessary works, which have already been submitted to the Ministry of Culture and are awaiting approval. The implementation of the project is expected to strengthen the cultural identity of Syros, establishing the Shot Factory as one of the island’s central points of interest for residents and visitors, and as a building that showcases its unique industrial history.