The “Youth Palace” of Yerevan, which is more famous with the “gnawed corn maze” name, has recently been modernized and the architects succeed in maintaining the same principles and outlines of the building.
According to the president of the “Our city” NGO, Anahit Tarkhanyan, the authors of the new project are the same of the previous building, who tried to maintain the façade of the building being as a “national value”. “If we compare the machetes of the two buildings we’ll hardly find any difference,” endured Tarkahnyan. She called the Youth Palace a summarized creation, which is compared with the masterpieces of Saryan, Minas or Surenyants’ paintings. It cannot be ever destroyed or duplicated. “How can we summarize Shostakovich and cut a few notes?” she asked. By signifying the importance of the Youth (which even during the most prosperous times for the building wouldn’t just be called that way) Palace building for Yerevan Tarkhanyan suggests increasing the height of the building by 10%. The previous 63-meter height of the building couldn’t possibly solve the ceiling problems. The height of the ceilings of the lodging rooms was only 2.4 meters, which was pressing even the ones, who were staying there temporarily. Because of the short length of the ceilings it was decided to dismantle this building and build it once again. The height of the new building will be more by 10 meter to make the length of the ceilings 3,3o meters. The version offered by Tarkhanyan promises to be a good one as the building is going to have a winter garden in the lobby and elevators. The rest will stay the same.
However the project offered by Tarkhanyan will hardly be accepted by the owners of the building, director of “Avante Garde” Motors, Edward Avetisyan, who’s already made a choice of a new project. The offer of the drastically new project – “open book” or “an angel spreading hands” became a Russian architect living in Germany, Sergey Choban, whose project has already been presented to the public. Tarkhanyan is abolutely against this project. “The new building is too big and too heavy for this part of the city and is going to look bad from all sides,” she said. The construction of such building opposes the security criteria of construction, seismological criteria, etc. “I don’t want a cultural symbol be changed. Many generations have been raised in this building,” she said. It’s surprising that Choban, being a famous architect since Soviet times, is going to build such a building. Although it’s quite normal for our society, which is used to seeing all kinds of “elite” and “exclusive” buildings. The owner of the Youth Palace has already managed to find a name for the hotel. It will be called “The Eighth Wonder of the world.”
Tarkhanyan by bringing up the provisions of the new constitution, was trying to persuade that the owner was allowed to dismantle the building with the condition to repair it and not to destroy the previous design. She’s offering to create a group of experts, who’d follow the process of the construction. Although Tarkhanyan mentions that she doesn’t wish to oppose the desires of the owner but she is persistent about getting permission for her project. She wants to make noise, advert the attention of international organizations to this fact. “If I sue them no international investor will ever finance or support me to realize this empiric project,” she ensures. She thinks that Avetisyan will even have problems with receiving credit. As about 70% of the property has been dismantled the owner won’t be trusted by banks to receive credit.
In the opinion of Mrs. Tarkhanyan by destroying the old buildings we are destroying our historic legacy. “Maybe we are trying to build what’s new?” To this question she answered, “The new stuff is being built in a new place. Just like what did the owner of Vahakni neighborhood.”
We think that our republic square needs something. What it needs is a statue. Tarkhanyan thinks our square needs a statue as well. The destruction of Lenin’s statue she called a sin.
P.S. Every building reflects the history of its time. They always have their mistakes at all times because not all the architects are able to build masterpieces. The construction of buildings is a historical event but their collapse it historical as well. The city with its buildings and streets serves the residents and not vice versa. It’s hard to tell to what extent the former Youth Palace of Yerevan was serving the residents of Yerevan.