The tannery main building has already been restored, while completion of all necessary work has been incorporated into the National Strategic Reference Framework. Once all work is carried out, the industrial building is going to house a state-of-the-art cultural complex and multi-purpose venue.
The building was originally built around 1880 and housed a pre-existing tannery founded in 1853-1854 by Menelaos Kornilakis. At the turn of the century, the company introduced the use of steam, as well as the first leather treatment machines. At the time, the tannery employed more than a hundred people and was a top-ranking company in the city. After WW1, the Tannery was sold to Marinakis, Koutsodontis & Co, and in the 1930s to Dendrinos & Koutsis Co. In 1970, the tannery suspended its operations and was gradually deserted. In 1998, the Municipality of Hermoupolis bought the building from the National Mortgage Bank of Greece. In 2000, the Greek Ministry of Culture declared the tannery a listed building.
The Kornilakis Tannery building is a monumental structure, with four buildings extending on both sides of a stone-cobbled alley. These are mainly two-storey buildings, with a number of additional units and outbuildings connected via a central pathway. There were also outdoor spaces necessary to the production process. All structures were made using plastered stone. Parts of the machinery and equipment, such as a semi-diesel oil machine, a cylinder, the presses, barrels and counters can currently be seen on-site.