THE SCALA FORESHORE
A Short History of the Phinikoudes

I’ve interviewed many Cypriots from Larnaca who have very fond memories of the original old waterfront as it was during the British era. Apart from the popular palm tree promenade known as the Phinikoudes which stretched along Athenon (Athens) Avenue in old Scala town, they also remember the many magnificent neo-classical buildings that graced the Scala foreshore. Buildings such as the Beau Rivage Hotel (formerly the Royal Hotel), the Tessera Fanaria (Four Lanterns) Hotel, the Grand Hotel and the original Sun Hall Lounge. They remember the grand old mansions that once belonged to Pavlos Valdaserides and Evanthia Pieridou and the grand old houses that belonged to the Ousmianis, Michaelides and Frangeskidis families. Sadly, these buildings are now all gone with the exception of the Pieridou mansion. They were demolished during the second half of the 20th Century in the name of progress.

According to local historian, Dr. Marios Kyriazis who is also the grandson of a former mayor of Larnaca, Neoklis Kyriazis, the coastal road in Scala didn’t always have a name. In fact, it was the British who first named the coastal road the Strand, shortly after they arrived to Cyprus in 1878. In the following years, the road was sometimes referred to as Marina Avenue or simply, the Promenade. It wasn’t until after the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 when The Strand was renamed Athenon (Athens) Avenue as was the decision to convert many other English street names in Cyprus to Greek names.

Up until the 1920s, the Scala beachfront was rather primitive to say the least. There was no waterfront, or sea wall or promenade to speak of and on moonless nights, the town was very dark indeed. Most of the shops and cafes along the beachfront had dirt floors and the narrow coastal road was unpaved with somewhat hazardous or non-existent footpaths. There was a pier however. It was first constructed by the British four years after arriving to Cyprus. Initially, the pier was 450 feet in length but by 1908, the concrete structure was extended to 900 feet. With the custom’s house located nearby, the Scala pier became a hive of activity throughout the year and greatly improved the transport of cargo for many merchants who were living and trading in Cyprus. Many goods such as tobacco were carried onto the pier by ox cart or mule wagon, then loaded on barges and transported out to sea to meet the cargo ships that were anchored around one and a half miles from the shore. With the absence of a sea wall, there was nothing that could stop the rush of the waves crossing the coastal road and entering the houses and shops. The distance from some shop fronts to the water was less than twenty feet in some places. As a temporary measure, the British authorities installed large iron tongues into the seabed in a vain attempt to keep the damaging waves at bay.

It wasn’t until 1919, when the construction of a proper waterfront began in Scala. This initiative can be largely attributed to few forward-thinking individuals such as Neoklis Kyriazis. In 1918, Kyriazis became the interim mayor of the Larnaca after his predecessor Filios Zannetos was sent to London for 16 months to undergo urgent medical procedures. Kyriazis was in the right place, at the right time and he fought hard to make the waterfront development project a reality. It is interesting to note that the British had already drawn up their own plans for the construction of a Scala waterfront soon after they arrived to Cyprus in 1878 but their plans was shelved due to the prohibiting costs at the time. The original plan was to build a waterfront that measured 750 metres in length, stretching from the Plague Hospital (now the Police Station) to the Medieval castle.

In 1918, Kyriazis suggested reducing the length of the waterfront to 350 metres reducing the building costs by two thirds down to £1800. He also suggested building the waterfront in a curved manner, rather than in a straight line further reducing the costs as this innovation would require about 60 percent less soil and 30 percent less manual labour. Remarkably, Kyriazis agreed to supervise the project himself without the need to hire a foreman which saved the government more money. With the funding approved, the main works for the waterfront of Scala began in August 1919. The ambitious project took almost eighteen months to complete and was successfully inaugurated in February 1920. As for the idea to plant a line of palm trees along the new Scala waterfront and foreshore, some experts believe that credit should go to Neoklis Kyriazis. Apparently, he was inspired by the tree-lined promenade in Alexandria, Egypt which he visited many times as this promenade was very close to his family’s tobacco manufacturing business in Alexandria. It decided that spring would the best time to plant the first palm trees in Scala along the foreshore and Kyriazis was advised that the Mexican fan palm (or Washingtonia robusta) species was the best choice for the project as these trees can reach heights of 100 feet and live for hundreds of years. Since the Washingtonia robusta species was the same as the ones in Alexandria, Kyriazis agreed. He then hired two agronomists named Aristos Hatzinikolas and Giorgos Lapathiotis to supervise the planting and the care of the palm trees. Both men originated from the village of Vatyli and worked for the Famagusta Government Nursery. According to the Government Gazette of 1920, a budget of 30 pounds, 5 shillings and 1 farthing was approved for the tree planting along the Scala waterfront. With regards to shipping the young palm trees to Cyprus, it is possible that they were shipped directly from Egypt to Famagusta and then transported by mule cart (or perhaps by boat) to the Larnaca pier. When the trees arrived, Hatzinikolas and Lapathiotis followed a very strict and delicate process for the planting. First, they would dig the holes to fit the trees making sure that they were twice the diameter of each root ball. Then they would carefully lift each tree by its root ball and position it slowly into the centre of the hole making sure the trunk was level with the soil line. After soaking the root ball with water, they would use the soil that was removed from the holes to form a mound around each tree trunk.

In his book, ‘The Phinikoudes Beach of Scala’ Dr. Marios Kyriazis describes the morning the palm trees arrive to the pier. “Larnaca is slowly starting to wake up. A few people gather on the waterfront to explore it, and to see how it looks now that the earthworks and widening works are finished. Someone jokes with Kyriazis (Neoklis). ‘Hey doctor, you should stop cementing them, you’re leaving holes in the road!’. Kyriazis smiles. But, before he can answer, other voices and shouts are heard. Noise from mules and three to four loaded carts. They stop at the edge of the pier and people crowd around to see what is going on. Kyriazis climbs onto a cart and uncovers it. Everyone looks at him with curiosity. He shouts excitedly: ‘The palm trees have arrived!’ People look at each other in surprise. These saplings will be planted in round holes in the ground that will be dug for this purpose. Soon other municipal workers arrive. The workers unbuckle themselves and begin work. Some dig the holes, some unload, others open the canvas bags and take out the small palm trees with great care and affection. They place them in each hole, 5.5 yards apart starting from the edge of the large dock. Fertilizer, water, soil. There are also three young girls there, one of whom is Kyriazis’ eldest daughter. The workers give them a shovel and they, with some emotion and enthusiasm, symbolically plant a palm tree each. Kyriazis then crawls onto the ground, measuring the distances to make sure one last time. He stands up and limps from tree to tree inspecting as he goes. He is limping after breaking his leg in an accident during the construction of the waterfront.

After two days, 65 palm trees have been planted, all evenly spaced in a slight curve following the coastline, covered with a wire protective cage.” As the palm trees were small in size, (only around 40 centimetres in height), it was commonplace to see local children jumping them like hurdles. It is largely thanks to the foresight and vision of Neocles Kyriazis and his team, that the Phinikoudes waterfront project was able to beautify the Scala beachfront during the British era. In fact, the buildings that were situated alongside the Phinikoudes beachfront increased significantly in value due to the works compared to buildings further along the foreshore where no beautification or widening works were carried out. Despite the construction of the waterfront and the beautification of the beachfront, Scala still remained a rather dry and dusty town, especially during the hot summer months. Council workers were often seen standing on the back of mule-drawn carts spraying the main streets of Larnaca with water to try and settle the dust. At the same time, waiters in cafes all along the promenade would sprinkle sea salt on the dirt floors to try and settle the dust inside. Sometime during the 1920s, a wooden cabin was erected on a small pier near the promenade for beach goers to use before and after frolicking in the sea. The cabin was divided by a wall to separate the men from the women and boasted hot and cold water for showers and a dry place to store clothes. Before long, many locals began to use this beach cabin as their own private bathroom as many of their homes in Scala did not have indoor plumbing. As mentioned earlier, Scala like many other towns and villages in Cyprus at that time, was rather dark and poorly lit at night. In 1922 however, the Municipal Council of Larnaca agreed to install a number of wooden electric poles with lamps all along the beachfront to help illuminate the road and the Phinikoudes.

The introduction of street lighting attracted more people to the area at night which also increased the number of customers at the local restaurants, cafes and other venues. Businesses in Scala were finally starting to make a profit. In 1925, the new mayor of Larnaca, Dimitrios Dimitriou, approved the construction of a low wall along the waterfront to try and stop the destruction of young palm trees that were dying due to sea spray and saltwater caused by waves crashing onto the shore during wild storms. In his book, ‘Larnaca Beloved,’ Andreas Evryviades describes the construction of this low concrete wall. “The wall was built in the sea. As a child, I remember seeing half-naked men standing in the water near the edge of the shore driving large wooden pilings (timber poles) into the seabed with heavy hammers. They would then pour a quick-setting concrete mixture into the foundations and wooden barrier.” Once the low wall and the palm tree promenade was established in Scala, the local council continued to beautify the area by introducing hanging baskets of flowers and greenery as well as building a series of steps leading down to the pier. The beachfront promenade was truly beautiful and soon became a very popular place to visit for hundreds of Cypriots from all over the island, especially during the weekends. When travel writer Olive Murray Chapman visited Cyprus in 1937, she compared the Scala promenade to the Italian Riviera. ‘At the fishermen’s quarters,’ she writes, ‘Italian-looking fishermen wearing blue jerseys can be seen mending their nets while outside the cafes opposite, a group of Turks sit, enjoying their coffees and smoking their hookah pipes. This strange intermingling of East and West can be found nowhere more clearly marked than in Larnaca.’

After the Second World War, the Scala promenade became even more popular for leisurely strolls. Some experts believe that this was the time when the locals began to refer to the promenade as the Phinikoudes. ‘I will meet you at the Phinikoudes’ they would say or, ‘let’s go down to the Phinikoudes.’

For most young men and women in Larnaca, an afternoon or evening stroll along the Phinikoudes became the only real outlet for them to see one another – even from a distance. These leisurely strolls soon became known as ‘lovers walks’ and provided a rare opportunity for young men and women to exchange fleeting romantic glances, or to reveal with their eyes, an attraction for one another. It’s fair to say that many fleeting glances exchanged between a young man and woman eventually resulted in an arranged marriage. I wonder if anyone reading this right now, may know someone who met at the Phinikoudes of Scala.

Antonis, a long-time local resident of Scala, remembers very few cars along the Phinikoudes when he was a young boy. “Most people rode bicycles, he says. “I remember next to the Sun Hall Lounge there was a place that had daily shows for families and cabarets too. I also remember watching donkeys on the pier delivery salt that had been transported from the Salt Lake and watching the fishermen on the shore sticking bamboo sticks into the ground in a criss-cross manner to dry their nets. There were always large boats anchored out in the bay waiting to be loaded up with their cargo.” When Antonis was still in high school, strict curfews existed in Cyprus restricting students from roaming the streets after dark. “We had to be home by 6pm,” he explains. “Otherwise, the paedonomo (school guard) would write your name down in his little book and report you to the principal on Monday morning. During the summer however, when the days were longer, we were allowed to stay out until 7pm.”

Evros Evryviades (Andrea’s son) remembers his childhood in Scala during the 1950s. “Scala was a large and quiet place in those days. Everyone lived close to the Phinikoudes. There was a series of simple buildings with canvas awnings, wooden chairs and iron tables. You could sit near the Phinikoudes and enjoy the breeze and actually see the open horizon and the sea. Now with the way the shops are positioned and covered, you can’t see anything.” During the 1960s, Athens Avenue became a one-way street every weekend, due to the increase in traffic, both pedestrian and automobile. As the demolition of the neoclassical buildings began, the appearance of the waterfront began to change.

The works for the port and the new Marina that took place around 1973 caused almost the entire front of Phinikoudes to be filled with sand.

Today, the Phinikoudes strip looks quite different to the way it looked during the British era. It is however still extremely popular, especially with the tourists who flock there ever summer. I can’t help but think the golden years of the Phinikoudes, despite the poverty and economic hardships that existed at the time, was during the first half of the 20th century. I am just glad that my parents took me to Scala and to the Phinikoudes in 1974, to catch a glimpse of the area and the waterfront when it was still relatively authentic. Please help to bring this post to life, by sharing your own memories of the original Scala foreshore and the Phinikoudes promenade. What do you remember? Feel free to send me an email: conemmanuelle@talesofcyprus.com.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Dr. Marios Kyriazis, Socratis Antoviadis and Evros Evryviades for their kind help and contributions this article about the Scala foreshore and the Phinikoudes promenade.