"Marika Eliadi" maternity hospital was founded by Helena Venizelou. Upon acknowledging, in 1926, that in the entire greater capital district (of some 400.000 inhabitants at the time) there were only three inadequately operating maternity hospitals (the Public Maternity Hospital, 70 beds, the "Tzaneio" Hospital Obstetric Department, 10 beds, and the Community Maternity Hospital) with deficiencies in scientific instruments and appropriately educated staff, she decided to donate to the city of Athens a scientifically complete maternity hospital that would cover all of the capital's needs and tuition for this skilled and educated midwives for the entire country especially for the rural provinces for this. Purpose she visited the Lausagne maternity hospital to discuss with its architect, professor G. Epitaux. On February 16th, 1933, the main large central building of what is nowadays Helena Venizelou General - Maternity Hospital was founded, named after the donator's dear friend, Marika Eliadis. Soon after this, it acquired the fame of being the first and foremost in its kind in the entire Balkan region. In 1940, under the Italian-German occupation, obstetric hospital operations were cancelled and - it was used as a military hospital - up until liberation. Ever since (1942) and onwards the foundation hosted the Community Maternity Hospital, the housing of which lasted until its latter relocation to its new facilities at the "Alexandra" Maternity Hospital in 1955. In 1955, following an additional donation by Helena Venizelou, a chapel, honouring the memory of Saints Eleftherios and Helen was raised, wherein an urn bearing the donator's heart is kept. During the following period and up to 1959 two new building blocks were constructed. One that housed the "Women 's Midwifery School" and another one for auxiliary purposes. At all events, additions and modifications notwithstanding, the need for accretion and expansion in new beds and facilities - mainly in operating rooms, labour-delivery rooms, pre-term infant wards, etc. - became pressing and imperative.
In 1962 a project-drawing assignment was jointly ordered to Lord Lewis-Davies' construction bureau in London and to the Greek P. Michaleas, architect, V. Abakoumkin, civil engineer and G. Contos, electrical engineer. Hence, the following were erected: A five-store building comprising operating rooms, premature infants unit, labour rooms, main sterilisation, milk Bank and Maternal Breast-feeding department and, A seven-store building comprising patient reception department and puerperal nursing departments, both connected to the main building over and under the ground. In 1984, ensuing the establishment of Technical Educational Foundations by the ministry of education, "Virginia Skilitsi", the "Women's Midwifery School" was annulled and its building was re-assigned to cover Hospital needs. In 1988 a purchase and sale agreement made among the "Marika Iliadi " foundation Board of Directors, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and State Social Insurance rendered the unit Public under its current name: ("HELENA VENIZELOU" GENERAL AND MATERNITY DISTRICT HOSPITAL")