Published since 07.2002
Published on July 11, 2008
HERITAGE PRESERVATION: BUILDING OF ARCHITECTURAL VALUES ARE DOCUMENTED IN GYUMRI
- The international club of architects and volunteers from the US-based environmental charity institute are going to document the exceptional architectural value of residential houses in the historic district in Gyumri, the second largest Armenian city in the north (Shirak province). The Earthwatch which makes architectural researches all over the world started their work in Gyumri in 2007. Now there is a 6 people group that arrived to Gyumri in June and consisted of 4 Americans, one Australian and one Japanese. Within this year another 3 expedition groups are expected to arrive. The specialists group measures, maps, restores the projects and plans as well as photographs the historic houses within the confines of the Kumayri Reserve and Museum in Gyumri. The majority of more than 1,600 structures in the reserve are residential. The19th century architecture in Gyumri is considered the greatest period of growth and development for the city. In 1804, Gyumri and the Shirak province were incorporated into the Russian Empire becoming one of the more famous cities in the South Caucasus. As a result of the 1829-1830 migration of families from Armenian cities of Kars and Erzerum (now in Turkey), Gyumri became a thriving densely populated city. “With this project I aim to celebrate, promote, and protect the strength and richness of Armenia's unique culture by documenting the vernacular architecture of the Kumayri Historic District,” says the leader of the team, Associate Professor at the College of Architecture, Art and Design, the Mississippi State University Jane Britt Greenwood. “I am documenting and working only with the houses from Alexandropol period that is from 1840 to 1920. We try to find out the date, the evaluation of architectural style and architectural details and elements. Greeks, Romans, Russians, and Turks have all left their mark on the land and people, and throughout it all, Armenia’s tenacious cultural identity marks the unique architecture of its historic buildings,” The recent economic growth and the construction of modern buildings on the place of those representing high architectural value prompted Greenwood while on a visit to Armenia to initiate such a project in Gyumri, “What we have seen in Yerevan is that all very old buildings were destroyed and new architectural buildings were constructed, like those we can see anywhere in the world. The primary objective of this research is to develop An Armenian Pattern Language that can be used to guide the future growth and development of the Armenian city of Gyumri while preserving the vernacular quality of the architecture in the city’s Kumayri Historic District. As the world becomes increasingly homogenized through a process of global standardization, cultures are increasingly at risk of losing their architectural identity as represented through their individual and unique pattern languages. I think Armenia has great many architectural treasures,” says Greenwood. Senior curator of funds at the reserve Stepan Ter-Margaryan says although no large number of houses can be included in the project, it’s still important. “At least people will realize the buildings they live in are of high value and will keep back from making changes. Never have the residential houses included in the reserve been documented this way. In the Soviet years, in 1970s, this kind of works were done only in regard to museum, church and other cultural structures of the reserve,” he says. Greenwood says their project does not have proper financial means to provide conservation of the structures, but they try to increase the awareness of the people to protect the buildings from being destroyed. “My goal is to move to other areas, such as Ashtarak, Goris, Dilijan, and Meghri have very different and interesting residential building typology. Besides I want to research the Eastern Turkey, Georgian and Azerbaijan architecture. I want to understand how Armenian architecture influenced other cultures and the same way how other cultures influenced Armenian architecture,” says Greenwood.
- Ani Hakobyan
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Today in Armenian history- 1706 First publication of the "Harsmavoork" periodical in Grigor Marzovantsi's publishing house (Constantinople).
- 1886 Birth of Missak Metsarents (poet). He died in 1908.
- 1904 The Mossoon and Zor battles took place under the leadership of Gayl Vahan and Mihran.
- 1905 After the defeat of Russian forces in the Russo - Japanese War, the Tsar proclaimed an edict on the confiscation of the Etshmiadsin church estates.
- 1906 Death of Heinrich Geltser, German armenologist. He was born in 1847.
- 1906 Death of the German armenologist Heinrich Helzer. He was born in 1847.
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