A red-colοured house of neoclassical architecture, a fine sample of what is known as "Ta Kokkina Spitia", meaning "The Red Houses", build around the turn of the century, had stood where The Conference Centre is today. It was damaged irreparably by the 1956 earthquake and had to be razed to the ground. It had belonged to a prominent family of Santorini who had left the island. The tunnels behind the Conference Hall were on the verge of collapse. They were the family's canava, its winery or place for wine making and storage. The house was rebuilt as a conference facility whilst maintaining the original architecture and the original local features, at least externally. Demetrios Koutsoudakis an architect by profession, was serving in the Greek army in Santorini after the earthquake in 1956. He had taken photographs and had made plans of the ruined house and that permitted him to design this facility. All the construction and restoration was performed in difficult conditions by local people and under the direction of the local contractor Panayotis Roussos. The superb ceiling of the main conference hall was painted by iconographer Andreas Avdelopoulos. The owner of the Conference Centre Mr. Petros M. Nomikos bore personally all responsibility and expenses necessary for the establishment and operation of this Conference Centre. The Petros M. Nomikos Conference Centre inaugarated in 1989 with the 3rd International Archaeological Congress entitled "Thera and the Aegean World" organised by The Thera Foundation.