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The Center & Rooms

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Founding

The Center was built on the grounds of Hellenic College Holy Cross in 1976 by the late Costas and Mary Maliotis of Belmont, Massachusetts. It operates under HCHC which is under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Building

The Maliotis Cultural Center building is a two-level structure whose exterior is clad with panels of white marble from Mt. Penteli (of which the Parthenon was constructed). The Center’s interior includes a 357-seat theater, two 70-seat lecture and exhibit areas, a 3,250-foot function and exhibit hall, four meeting rooms, and a complex of administrative offices. The Center is accessible to the handicapped by way of the side street and convenient, free parking is available.

Permanent Exhibits and Collections

The Cypriot Antiquities comprises 13 pieces of ceramic pottery from the Middle Bronze Age into the Hellenistic period (2000 BC-50 BC).

The Parthenon Marbles Exhibit features full-scale replicas of two pieces from the Parthenon sculptures: from the west frieze, a relief of a horse and rider, and from the east pediment, a statue of two goddesses.

The Center’s collection of contemporary lithography includes works by Alekos Fassianos, Yiannis Moralis, Dimitris Myataras, Edouardos Sakagian and Pavlos Samios.

The Center’s other collections include original works by Constantine Arvanites, Lillian Delevoryas, Charles Demetropoulos, Alexandra Maniatis, Nefeli Massia, Miro Musulin, Paul Papadonis, Pavlos Samios, Vicky Tsalamata, and Apostolos Tsoris; photography by Natalie Kulufundis, Tom Papademetriou, John Pezaris and George Stevens; and the Sperling aquatints of traditional costumes.

The Atrium

As you enter through the glass doors, the tall and spacious, yet welcoming expanse of the Atrium will take your breath away. This is the perfect spot for showcasing an exhibit. hosting a dinner party, or even gathering folks together to celebrate life and all its milestones. The natural light that pours in this room through the beautifully positioned windows is truly an art form in itself and will make any event or showcase and your guests feel inspired.

The Karahalios Library and Lounge

We all have that special room that makes us feel the joy and warmth a home is known to provide. This same safety and warmth can be felt in this Library and Lounge. Whether trying to host an evening of discussion, or an event such as an open mic night, this room will offer the perfect backdrop and ambiance. Perfectly appointed with warm wall colors and comfortable and elegant, yet modern furniture, you may find yourself not ready to leave when the night is over. When not being used for entertaining, it makes the perfect spot to reflect out of the spacious windows while you sip on the perfect cup of coffee or tea found outside the library in the Kafenio.

Learn more about the founding and renovations of this spectacular space here.

The Costas and Mary Maliotis Room

A prime example of the spectacular Maliotis Cultural Center renovation, the Maliotis room is a space that is both stunningly beautiful as well as functional. The room is dedicated to Costa and Mary Maliotis, the patrons of the Center, and it holds treasures from the beloved couple’s life and legacy including awards of Costa Maliotis, a plaque with the mission of the center, and furniture and art pieces from the Maliotis’ home. Dining and entertaining will feel all the more elegant as you take a seat in this curated room. With its bold yet refined wall colors and perfectly-placed decor, you will find yourself dining with the level of elegance you want and expect. Whether a grand celebration, a private meeting space, or simply a business lunch that requires a peaceful retreat, this room offers it all.

The Director’s Office

The Director’s Office was made possible through the funding and lovingkindness of Presbytera Calypso Karahalios, in honor of her late husband Rev. Dr. George Karahalios. The exquisite and stylish Director’s Office combines the artistic flair of an art curator with the refinement of a private parlor room. It is furnished with rich blues and velveteen sofas and artwork by Tsiaras and other notable Greek artists, conjuring up Odyssean adventures from the comfort of its couches. It can be reserved for private meetings.

The Theater

The Maliotis theater is the perfect setting for conferences, dance and music performances, concerts, and lectures. With its easy preset light options that turn on with a single button, a large expansive stage perfect for any event, electrical plug-ins, projector, and its large 346 person seating capacity, this theater offers comfort and the space for events and presentations both big and small. The theater has long been home to grand-scale events including Greek musical concerts, OXI Day Celebrations, Classical plays, and academic conferences.

The Dance Room

They say life is better when you dance and the dance room in Maliotis offers the perfect space to do just that! This room has everything you need and desire from a dance environment including coat and costume hangers, benches, wooden floors, soundproofing, a piano, and hookups for music. No one will be left behind as you lead any practice in this room. It will bring life to your material and to your dancers.

The West and East Lounges

Whether you are looking to host an art or music exhibit, a lecture, class, or conference, the West and East Lounges offer the perfect space. Tables and chairs can be perfectly positioned to offer an intimate and conducive environment for teaching and discussing or browsing art pieces. Set atop the atrium of MCC, you get all the perks of a private space in an open-air setting.

These lounges also double as friendly classroom spaces. With plenty of space and clearly defined stage areas for presenting, as well as all the right electronic connections, presenting with ease is a joy for all in attendance.

The Kafeneio (Cafe)

The Kafeneio (Cafe) is a little piece of Greece right in the Maliotis Center. Its blue walls, Grecian decor, imported Greek treats, and laid-back atmosphere are reminiscent of a kafeneio you’d find in Hellas. Situated right off the Atrium and adjacent to the Karahalios Library and Lounge, the Kafeneio is always bustling with visitors. The cafe boasts free coffee daily, including an assortment of Greek coffees, frappe, teas, espresso, and cappuccino, and always has a sweet or savory snack available, too. Visitors are encouraged to speak Greek and practice Philoxenia, hospitality.

The Kitchen (Greek Kouzina)

The right kitchen makes all the difference in the world. The Maliotis “Kouzina” offers all the necessities to make your next event as seamless as possible. The kitchen is appointed with a sink, storage with all the utensils and supplies one might need for hosting any event requiring food, as well as a refrigerator, oven, and counter space to set up the perfect displays for our guests. For larger catering and meal preparation, we are happy to recommend other catering options for your event. We anticipate a full-scale renovation of the kitchen in the near future.

Karahalios Library

The Maliotis Cultural Center, located on the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA, recently opened the Rev. Dr. George Karahalios Library and Lounge. This welcoming and versatile space is made possible by the generous donation of Presvytera Calypso “Lee” Karahalios, in memory of her late husband. Presvytera Lee says she is “honored to be able to help, even a little, the Maliotis Cultural Center, with which my husband and I have been closely connected for over fifty years.” Fr. Karahalios served HCHC in several roles: as a professor of philosophy, as Vice President, and as Provost. He was also Chancellor of the Metropolis of Boston. Earlier, while studying in Heidelberg, Germany, he served as the US Army’s Auxiliary Chaplain for the Greek Orthodox members of the military and civilian personnel.

Presvytera Lee was born on Paros, Greece, then came to the United States as a young girl. Her immigrant experience shaped her into a person who embraces new cultures and people and still maintains a close connection with her Greek roots and traditions. She held various administrative positions in the US Army and civic organizations. She was an active member in the communities where her husband served, offering her talents in the choir and chanting, in leadership positions in the Philoptochos Society, and creating and publishing popular Greek cookbooks.

Presvytera Lee says she has “vivid memories from the conversations I had with Kostas and Mary Maliotis, as we share[d] common desires such as the transmission of the Greek spirit in the Diaspora and, not having children of our own, saw the children of the Greek Diaspora as our own children.” This sense of familial kinship is certainly felt by the students and friends who now enjoy the Karahalios Library. They say the space “is very homey.”

Furnished with comfortable leather sofas and exquisite oil paintings, this warm and inviting space, just off the atrium of the Center and next to the new “Kafeneio,” is open to the whole community as well as to Hellenic College Holy Cross students, faculty, and staff. The library houses a large collection of Greek and English books and magazines for adults and children, as well as board games such as chess and backgammon. Since its creation, it has become a popular hangout space for all ages and is used by a wide range of visitors who come to read, study, visit with friends, play games, listen to music on the Bluetooth speakers, and enjoy Greek coffee, frappe, or Greek pastries. Presvytera Lee has witnessed the remarkable transformation of the Maliotis Cultural Center, beginning with the library she sponsored: “I often visit this place now and I am moved that at its door I see the name of my husband, who passionately loved our Theological School and our Hellenic College. My heart is filled with optimism watching the children from the College and Theological School gather here to socialize and to talk about their dreams. When the Chapel bell rings, they go to services and tell me ‘We will light a candle on your behalf.’ I especially enjoy the conversations I have with them when they ask me to tell them stories from my life. I left my homeland in Greece to come to America at a young age, but if you ask me who I am, I will say that I am Greek.” Presvytera Lee admires the MCC’s growth and attributes much of the success to the leadership of its new director, Presvytera Chrysoula Kourkounti: “It is my special pleasure to see Presvytera Chrysoula in her new professional role. With hard work and a lot of passion, she tries day and night to upgrade our Cultural Center to meet the needs of the whole Omogeneia [larger community], and also to embrace and actively participate in the life of the children of the Greek community as if they were her own.” Presvytera Lee’s generosity and love for Hellenism and the Greek Diaspora have not only made the library possible, but have aided substantially in the complete renovation of the entire building, now home to a host of activities and events, including shared intercollegiate cultural events, academic events, business luncheons, HCHC classes, Greek dance practice, public lectures, conferences, museum exhibits, movie screenings, and musical performances. Presvytera Lee emphasizes, “In this space that opens its doors hospitably to the whole Greek community, I feel that it is not just a community under our Archdiocese, but a family. I am blessed and happy being a member of this family.”

Renovations

For almost half a century, the Maliotis Cultural Center has occupied a prominent place–both literally and figuratively–at Hellenic College Holy Cross. A gift to the school by the late Costas and Mary Maliotis in 1974, the Center is dedicated to fostering the understanding and appreciation of all aspects of Hellenic culture while also serving as a multifaceted resource for HCHC. Now that longstanding legal issues have been resolved, thanks largely to the intervention of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and the president of HCHC, Mr George Cantonis the Center is ready to resume fulfilling the vision of its founding benefactors.

COVID-related restrictions on large gatherings made it the last year impossible for the Center to welcome in-person audiences to the kind of performances and activities for which it has always been known. However, that limitation has also offered opportunities to present virtual programming and to make much-needed updates to the building.

Given the restrictions on social gathering, we have taken this time to undertake major renovation projects while the Center is closed to visitors. By the time it reopens, the Center’s facilities, which include a large auditorium, lecture rooms and exhibition spaces, will gleam as brightly as its exterior, which is faced with the same white marble as the Parthenon.