UNIQUE PLACES
State index: 1.6.96
Architect: Alexander Tamanyan
Located in the central part of the city at the intersection of Abovyan, Nalbandyan, Amiryan, Vazgen Sargsyan streets and Tigran Mets Avenue. It is the main square of the city - an important urban planning and transport hub, a place for various events and gatherings. From 1940 to 1990, it bore the name of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. Until 1991, a statue of Lenin stood at the edge of the square.
Architect Alexander Tamanyan designed it as Yerevan's main square in the
city's master plan in 1924. Construction took place in several phases.
The current area of the square was part of Yerevan's pre-Soviet residential zone. Construction began in 1926 with the two-story building of the People's Commissariat of Agriculture on Nalbandyan Street, which was later incorporated into the First Government House. From 1936 to 1938, workers built the third floor of the Agricultural Commissariat building. Taragros and Vagharshak Melik-Hakobyan created the ornamental carvings.
In 1935, with the construction of the Government House, demolition began on residential houses in the square, as well as structures on Abovyan, Nalbandyan, Sverdlov (now P. Buzand), and Amiryan streets and the city park. Workers demolished the military commandant's office building, bathhouse, cinema, pioneer house, kindergarten, shop, Petit-Champs restaurant, and others. Alexander and Gevorg Tamanyan designed the First Government House, built from 1926 to 1940 and in the 1950s. It won the USSR State Prize in 1941. Gevorg Tamanyan designed the Melik-Adamyan Street section in 1957, with construction completed in 1959. Suren Stepanyan created the sculptures.
In 1936, after Alexander Tamanyan's death, the Executive Committee of the
Yerevan City Council announced a competition for the design and development of
the square. The competition, led by Yerevan's first chief architect (1924-1938)
Nikoghos Buniatyan, did not significantly change the square's development
process.
In 1939, workers built a 12-meter sidewalk in front of the First Government
House, which also included green areas.
Later, the following buildings were constructed in the square:
1. The Second Government House with “Ararat” restaurant - 1944-1955, architect: Samvel Safaryan, with the participation of architects Rafael Israelyan and Varazdat Arevshatyan. Architect Martin Mikayelyan participated in the architectural details of the building and interior decoration of the restaurant. Painter Hovhannes Zardaryan created the restaurant's interior mural, and Hmayak Bdeyan created the ceramic decoration.
2. “Armenia” (“Marriott”) Hotel - 1954 (first phase) - 1980s, operation began in 1958, architects: Mark Grigoryan, Eduard Sarapyan, with the participation of Eduard Altunyan and Levon Melkonyan, constructor: S. G. Baghdasaryan.
3. Trade Unions and Ministry of Communications building - 1956-1978, architects: Mark Grigoryan, Eduard Sarapyan. In 1935, architect Nikoghos Buniatyan designed the House of Communication in the constructivist architectural style. Since it did not match the stylistic features of the buildings being constructed in the square, in 1956 it was incorporated into the new Communications House building and remained behind its facade.
4. Museum building (House of Culture) - 1940s, the former boys' gymnasium building was modified in connection with the construction of the House of Culture. The interior space and the facade facing Abovyan Street were preserved in their original form, while the remaining black tuff facades were faced with white stone. In 1954, workers built a third floor on top of the boys' gymnasium and added an open, arched colonnade on the square side to incorporate the building into the square complex (architects: Mark Grigoryan, Eduard Sarapyan).
5. In 1980, construction of the 7-story gallery building with an octagonal drum shape (in the inner courtyard of the House of Culture) was completed, simultaneously finishing the formation of the main square (architects: Mark Grigoryan, Eduard Sarapyan, A. Ghazaryan). Its height is 42 m.
6. “Republic Square” station of Yerevan Metro - 1981, architects: Jim Torosyan, Mkrtich Minasyan, constructors: O. Hakobyan, A. Hovhannisyan. Armenian SSR State Prize: 1983.
7. The monument to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, leader of the October Revolution and founder of the Soviet state, was installed in the southern part of the square on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Sovietization of Armenia. The unveiling of the statue took place on November 24, 1940. The authors were sculptor Sergey Merkulov and Tbilisi-based architects Natalia Paremuzova and Levon Vardanov (Vardanyan). It was considered one of the best Lenin monuments erected in the USSR. The statue was made of forged copper and stood 7 m tall. The pedestal was built of gray granite. The total height was 18.2 m. Workers removed the statue from its pedestal on April 13, 1991, on the eve of the official collapse of the USSR, by the decision of the Yerevan City Council on March 28, 1991. The sculptured pedestal remained in the square until July 1996, after which it was dismantled.
8. The fountain pool of Republic Square was built in 1953, in front of the Museum building, designed by architects Mark Grigoryan and Eduard Sarapyan. In 1970, the fountains were transformed into colorful “singing” fountains, authored by radio technician Abraham Abrahamyan. In 1978, it received the Armenian SSR State Prize. In 2007, the French company “Aquatic Show International” reconstructed the fountains. During the 2011 reconstruction, the same company expanded the functional capabilities of the fountains.
9. The “Yotnaghbyur” (Seven Springs) fountain was built in front of the
Museum building in 1965, designed by architect Spartak Kntekhtsyan. Sculptor
Arman Nur renovated it in 2010.
The total area of the square is 3.5 hectares. It has two parts, with axial dimensions of 230 x 110 m. In the center of the oval part, there is a mosaic (2003) that resembles a carpet when viewed from above. To the north, it adjoins a table-shaped section with a water basin (160 x 80 m). The buildings are constructed with polished Armenian pink tuff, light milky felsite, and gray basalt in the lower parts.
During the renovation work carried out in the square in 2003, workers uncovered rectangular vaulted basements 10 m away under the western corner of the water basin and 15 m away in front of the “Armenia” hotel. The expedition of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of RA partially excavated them (Husik Melkonyan, Frina Babayan). Ashok Hovsepyan, the restoring architect of the Agency for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs of RA, measured them. Subsequently, workers conserved the monuments with loose sand and covered them with asphalt. These are underground sections of Yerevan's 18th-20th century development, whose above-ground structures were demolished in the 1920s-1930s due to the need for square development.
The architecture of the First Government House had a decisive influence on creating the artistic image of the Republic Square complex, which predetermined the proportions of other volumes and the ratio of building heights. The architecture of the square's buildings is rich in decorative plastic elements and sculptures. Designers used motifs from national architecture (Tekor, Dvin, Zvartnots, Talin) in the design of capitals, cornices, openings, and other elements.
The Republic Square complex is one of the best works of Soviet architecture
and a valuable monument of urban art. It occupies a central place in Yerevan's
design system. In 1971, it won the Armenian SSR State Prize.
“Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO
Yerevan Municipality
