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ARCHITECTURAL ALARM: ACTIVISTS WANT TO RAISE NOISE ABOUT RAZING OF AFRIKYAN HOUSE
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow
11.06.12 | 16:10
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
The dismantling of an elaborately ornamented house in downtown Yerevan
part of historic heritage of the Afrikyan family, stirred heated public
discussions on Monday. The house was declared "exclusive supreme
public interest" and was sold to a company which is now planning to
dismantle the building, numbering the stones so that the facade can
be restored in another part of the city.
Citizens concerned about the future of the Afrikyan house (built
in late 19th century) on Teryan street, want to see the unique
architectural monument preserved.
"By a government decree this magnificent building should be destroyed
and a new business corporation should be built instead. And no one
knows when this house will be reconstructed in some other location.
You know that many such buildings have shared the same fate and none
of those has been rebuilt. Enough! We'd like to remind the government
and business owners that we haven't forgotten our historic values
and will protect them till the end," reads the statement released by
a group of activists.
Millennium Construction Company has bought the house to build an
"elite" residential complex there.
Architect Sahrat Petrosyan, expert in urban development, says that
the government decision is "anti-architectural".
"Monuments should not be treated that way - to demolish the building
and simply restore its facade in another place. During the recent 20
years 32 similar monuments have been demolished," Petrosyan says.
In 2004, a total of 14 monuments (among them the Afrikyan house)
out of the 975 included on state list of Yerevan monuments to be
preserved were dismantled within the framework of the state program
on transfer of monuments.
The Afrikyan house family belonged to merchant and manufacturer
Armen Afrikyan. (The Afrikyans owned a fabric store, a cotton press,
wine and brandy factories.) In the early 20th century, before the
Bolshevik Revolution, the house served as a city club, attended by
political figures, businessmen, artists and guests from abroad. The
Afrikyans were also members of Yerevan city council (duma).
From: Baghdasarian
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow
11.06.12 | 16:10
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
The dismantling of an elaborately ornamented house in downtown Yerevan
part of historic heritage of the Afrikyan family, stirred heated public
discussions on Monday. The house was declared "exclusive supreme
public interest" and was sold to a company which is now planning to
dismantle the building, numbering the stones so that the facade can
be restored in another part of the city.
Citizens concerned about the future of the Afrikyan house (built
in late 19th century) on Teryan street, want to see the unique
architectural monument preserved.
"By a government decree this magnificent building should be destroyed
and a new business corporation should be built instead. And no one
knows when this house will be reconstructed in some other location.
You know that many such buildings have shared the same fate and none
of those has been rebuilt. Enough! We'd like to remind the government
and business owners that we haven't forgotten our historic values
and will protect them till the end," reads the statement released by
a group of activists.
Millennium Construction Company has bought the house to build an
"elite" residential complex there.
Architect Sahrat Petrosyan, expert in urban development, says that
the government decision is "anti-architectural".
"Monuments should not be treated that way - to demolish the building
and simply restore its facade in another place. During the recent 20
years 32 similar monuments have been demolished," Petrosyan says.
In 2004, a total of 14 monuments (among them the Afrikyan house)
out of the 975 included on state list of Yerevan monuments to be
preserved were dismantled within the framework of the state program
on transfer of monuments.
The Afrikyan house family belonged to merchant and manufacturer
Armen Afrikyan. (The Afrikyans owned a fabric store, a cotton press,
wine and brandy factories.) In the early 20th century, before the
Bolshevik Revolution, the house served as a city club, attended by
political figures, businessmen, artists and guests from abroad. The
Afrikyans were also members of Yerevan city council (duma).
From: Baghdasarian