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Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Architects Upset Over Armenia's Disappearing Architecture



If you've seen Yerevan over the past decade, then you know very well that the city has changed tremendously. Redevelopment has drastically altered the city center, but not necessarily for the best.

A group of renowned Armenian architects are ringing alarm bells over the few remaining old buildings in central Yerevan that seem to be disappearing in a construction boom which is rapidly changing the city center.

In a joint appeal to Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, they called for the Armenian government’s “immediate intervention” in what they see as an illegal destruction of the country’s historical and cultural heritage.

They listed in particular a dozen buildings dating back to the pre-Soviet period that were supposed to be protected by the state but have been torn down by private developers over the past two years. All of those buildings were included in December 2004 on a government list of over a hundred properties that are not subject to demolition.

The pursuit of profits has once again come at the expense of Armenia and its people.

To read the full article, click here.

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