Architect Rafael Israelyan’s Yerevan house demolished, hotel building planned

 October 8, 2011 - 14:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Yerevan house of a famous Armenian architect Rafael Israelyan, the author of Sardarapat Battle (1968) and Mother Armenia (1951) monuments, is being demolished.

Israelyan’s house, located in Saryan Street, was constructed by the architect himself in 1954, with many of the decorations carved by his own hand.

According to reports, a hotel construction onsite is planned. As an architect Sarat Petrosyan stated, the construction of a hotel has not been envisaged by Yerevan Municipality zoning project, and consequently, runs counter to it.

As an architect Arsen Karapetyan, in turn, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, “you could count the buildings retaining the memory of the old city on one hand. With Israelyan’s contribution to Armenian architecture, his house was more than worthy of preserving.”

“The building could be turned into a museum, instead of yet another faceless hotel. Yerevan is turning into a city without memories,” he said, regretfully.