Clean as a Whistle, the Parthenon Drops Its Scaffold

Sure, it's taken nearly a decade to begin work on rebuilding Ground Zero, but if you look at certain other high-profile construction jobs overseas, suddenly that doesn't seem so bad. Take the Parthenon, for instance. After three decades of restoration work, the Greek government has finally removed the last blocks of scaffolding from the ancient temple overlooking Athens. Now, for the first time since 1983, visitors can see the architectural marvel in its full, unblemished glory.

The temple has suffered some major blows over the past century, which the restoration efforts have sought to correct. Enterprising British ambassador Lord Elgin, for example, cut large chunks off the building in 1801, some 130 years after a Venetian mortar caused a cache of Turkish gunpowder to burst into flames inside. Looting and vandalism were, for stretches of centuries, commonplace.

Unfortunately, scaffolding will return to the temple in September, when authorities begin restoration work on its Western façade. Officials have stated that project will last only three years, though at least one marble-cutter hopes that the work falls behind again. Ignatius Hiou, who has worked on the project for 18 years, told Reuters, “If I could do this until the day I die, I will be happy.”