The houses of Ano Syros are of folk architecture and they are divided in ground-floor, upper-floor and two-storey houses, which appeared after the first two. They have the ground floor with the kitchen or other auxiliary rooms and strorage rooms. On the upper-floor, where someone climbs passing by the yard, there is the parlour and the bedrooms.

They were sets of rural buildings which consisted of the main “themonia”, the “kalyvi” (hut) and the so-called “apoklistra” (the surrounding wall). All the Syrians had “themonies” inside their farmlands in order to store their tools or so as they can protect themselves from the heat, the cold and the rain. Later on from “themonies” came the “katikies”, the rural houses of the Syrians. The materials they used were the wood, the reeds, the black rock, the stone and the iron in order to construct the crossbars in the houses.  

It was the main livestock building and it had a curved shape. They were built under rocks or on their side and they seemed to constitute unified buildings. Around them there was the fold in which the sheep used to gather.

In the past at Neorio there was a lazaretto and around it there were the old tanneries. Between 1970-1973 it got extended and the old pier built between 1856-1857 by designs of G. Metaxas disappeared. In the centre there is still the initial factory, which was built in 1860, by designs made in Europe under the supervision of P. Sapmo. The old foundry is still housed in one of its wings. The first iron steamboat was built here in 1892 and the second one between 1903-1904.Its cranes stand out from afar and the activity in the area is increased. Neorio of Ermoupoli is considered one of the most important shipbuilding and repair units in Greece.         

Apart from the shipyards, Ermoupoli had mechanical tanneries, smithies, saw mills, and soap industries which operated circa 1860. There were also mills, glass industries, “loukoumi” industries etc. When the port declined, in the 1880s, these industries were shrinked. In late 19th century the textile industry flourished and up to 1910 at least 24 factories were created. Today many of the old factories have been demolished, and others have changed their use. You will find interesting data about this topic at the site of the Municipality of Syros www.hermoupolis.gr and  at www.ketepo.gr, the site of the Industrial Museum of Ermoupolis.