Going forward, all English language articles on EVN Report will have audio versions.
Listen to the article.
The three story building at the intersection of Aram and Koghbatsi streets, next to the Margaryan Maternity Hospital and the Mashtots (Manouchian) Park was built in 1902 and initially functioned as a bank. It was designed by architect Vasili Mirzoyan and a Russian named N. Kitkin. It was renovated in 1934 and began to be used as a hospital. The building, which has the status of a national historical monument, has been effectively abandoned, left to decay. Its roof is damaged, the balconies are dilapidated, the glass of much of the arched windows are broken, its inner walls are crumbling and the entire interior looks like it’s been bulldozed. But even in a state of disrepair, it still attracts the attention of passersby for its imposing façade.
The building, with its pitch-dark façade and decorative columns, is located at 54 Aram Street. It was initially state-owned and administered by Number 2 Medical Unit, a closed joint-stock company operating under the jurisdiction of the Yerevan municipality. Listed for denationalization in 2001, the company (along with the building) was eventually privatized by an April 10, 2003 government decree through a direct sale to Arstmed LLC, a company with 220 shareholders.
The state-controlled company then had assets worth an estimated 206 million AMD, while the estimated value of the shares to be privatized was set at 124 million AMD, but their sale price was set at 31 million AMD as the buyer had to pay off the company’s liabilities (Number 2 Medical Unit) of 82 million AMD. The buyer also committed to maintain the company’s profile (as in continuing to operate as a hospital) for ten years.
In 2006, the new owner, Arstmed, merged with Number 2 Medical Unit CJSC, which is the legal successor of the state-owned company. Established in 2003, it now controls a small section of the building that faces Koghbatsi Street, which also has a black tuff façade. That small section continues to function as a private hospital.
A shareholders’ meeting in October 2004 transferred the building, under unclear circumstances, to Hartigs CJSC, owned by Harutyun Kushkyan. The latter is a prominent figure in Armenia’s healthcare sector. He is the founder and owner of two major hospitals in Yerevan, Erebuni and Nairi. From 2007 to 2012, he was Armenia’s health minister and in 2014–2016, he held the same office in Artsakh.
In 2018, Hartigs merged with Med House, another company owned by Kushkyan. It currently controls much of the building, including the entire section facing Aram Street.
Armenia’s Culture Ministry told EVN Report that as with the other two historic buildings covered in this series, namely the former MFA building on Republic Square and 9 Aram Street, no restoration agreement has been signed with its owner, leaving its preservation unregulated.
No Longer Abandoned?
In March 2023, Armenia’s Culture Ministry said in a statement that its scientific council had discussed, among others, the restoration of 54 Aram Street. It told EVN Report that the building’s owner had presented a rendering for restoration to the Ministry, which was given the green light. In September 2023, the government gave its formal approval, required by law, for the restoration of the building.
The Ministry also said the Yerevan municipality had to deliberate and give a go-ahead for the renovation. City Hall, in turn, said they are in contact with the owner and the Ministry to coordinate the efforts.
The owner, Harutyun Kushkyan, told EVN Report that the building’s renovation will start soon. He asserted that it will stay as it is, but will be modernized and beautified and no floor will be added. He did not say what the renovated building will be used for. No precise dates were provided.
* * *
At a City Hall meeting on March 11, municipal officials reported that around 50 historic buildings in Yerevan that are privately owned and in need of renovation have been inventoried. The Ministry of Culture addressed letters to their owners, only one of which, presumably the owner of 54 Aram St., responded by expressing their willingness to work on restoration.
Additionally, Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan remarked that insufficient efforts are being made in this matter. He pointed to imposing fines on owners that neglect historic buildings as one tool at their disposal.
EVN Report has asked both Yerevan City Hall and the Culture Ministry for the above-mentioned list of around 50 neglected historic buildings, and upon receiving this list, we will continue to present the stories of these buildings as part of this series.
I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
