In the second half of the 19th century, particularly in the wake of the devastating earthquake of 1856, the town was rebuilt along Ottoman lines, with elements drawn from emerging Greek Neoclassicism being added at a later stage.

New features included organisation along symmetrical lines, thresholds with what were usually low arches, and panelled doors and shutters.

Most buildings of this type served as schools or housed branches of the civil service and administration. Their architecture was supplanted by full Neoclassicism in the late 19th century.