YEREVAN "DEPRIVED OF" HISTORIC BUILDING

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[02:56 pm] 23 May, 2008

The black building at the intersection of Tigran Mets-Hanrapetutiun
streets once housed the government of the first Republic. Today it
is getting more and more unrecognizable.

We tried to learn our citizens’ opinion of the construction although
specialists assure that the new storeys added to the building will
not spoil its appearance.

"I think badly of the construction. They have completely spoilt the
beauty of the building.

Unfortunately, it is not upon me to decide," said an indignant citizen.

"I wish the opinion of ordinary citizens were taken into
consideration," a woman expressed her concern.

"How will the authorities act if a well-off oligarch decides to add new
floors to the present government building? No matter what building it
is, a tiny or a huge one, it is an ounce of our history," said a woman.

Nevertheless, architects do not share public opinion.

"I do not endorse all those blacks buildings erected during the period
of Russian tsarism. They have nothing to do with our culture. They
are common to Russian towns of a medium size. The building reminds
of rags. It is not a Mozart to regret for its loss," said an elderly
architect from "Yerevan Project" Company.

"Today money plays a decisive role in Yerevan. It is the root of all
evil," he adds.

As the establishment of the first Republic is directly connected
with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation we tried to find out the
party’s opinion of the construction.

Kiro Manoyan, one of the leaders of ARF Dashnaktsutiun and the head
of Armenian Cause Office thinks the building had better become a
museum. "As far as I know it was privatized during Ter-Petrossian’s
office, therefore we could do nothing to preserve the building."

"The building was purchased by a Diaspora benefactor Hrair Hovnanian
in 1998, and the construction launched in 2007," deputy chairman of the
"Protection of Armenian Historic Monuments" Mikael Harutiunian says.

The building hosted the Committee of Cultural Ties with the Armenian
Diaspora in 1960-1998. Then I suggested preserving the building,
changing the interior and opening a museum of the first Republic.

But our suggestion was rejected. Thanks God, the facade hasn’t been
changed. All buildings of the street are three-storeyed. New storeys
distort the proportion and beauty of the sight," Mikael Harutiunian
adds.