Arts & Culture special pullout section - Armenian Reporter
Arts & Culture special pullout section - Armenian Reporter
Arts & Culture special pullout section - Armenian Reporter
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A history of the Cascade<br />
The building is now the Cafesjian<br />
Center for the <strong>Arts</strong> has been<br />
a prominent landmark in the<br />
city of Yerevan for many years.<br />
Knowns as “The Cascade,” the<br />
complex was originally conceived<br />
by the architect Alexander<br />
Tamanyan (1878–1936), who<br />
drew up the master plan for the<br />
city. Tamanyan desired to connect<br />
the northern and central<br />
parts of Yerevan – the historic<br />
residential and cultural centers<br />
of the city – with a vast green<br />
area of waterfalls and gardens,<br />
cascading down one of the city’s<br />
highest promontories. Unfortunately,<br />
the plan remained largely<br />
forgotten until the late 1970s,<br />
when Yerevan’s Chief Architect<br />
Jim Torosyan revived the plan.<br />
Torosyan’s conception of the<br />
Cascade included Tamanyan’s<br />
original plan but incorporated<br />
new ideas that included a monumental<br />
exterior stairway, a long<br />
indoor shaft containing a series<br />
of escalators, and an intricate<br />
network of halls, courtyards,<br />
and outdoor gardens embellished<br />
with numerous works of<br />
sculpture bearing references to<br />
Armenia’s rich history and cultural<br />
heritage.<br />
Construction of Torosyan’s design<br />
of the Cascade was launched<br />
by the Soviets in the 1980s but<br />
was abandoned after the <strong>Armenian</strong><br />
earthquake of 1988 and the<br />
breakup of the Soviet Union in<br />
1991. With independent rule<br />
and the transition to democracy,<br />
Armenia entered a period<br />
of severe economic hardship,<br />
and the Cascade remained a neglected<br />
relic of the Soviet era for<br />
more than a decade. Gerard L.<br />
Cafesjian, working with the City<br />
of Yerevan and the government<br />
of the Republic of Armenia, initiated<br />
its recent revitalization<br />
in 2002. The project took over<br />
seven years to complete. During<br />
that time virtually every aspect<br />
of the monument was renovated<br />
and much of it completely<br />
reconstituted into a center for<br />
the arts, bearing the name of its<br />
principal benefactor. f<br />
A panoramic view<br />
of Yerevan and<br />
Mount Ararat<br />
from the top of<br />
the Cafesjian<br />
Center of the<br />
<strong>Arts</strong>. Below<br />
the Cascade is<br />
the Cafesjian<br />
Sculpture Garden<br />
at Tamanyan<br />
Park, and beyond<br />
that is the Opera.<br />
Photo: Mkhitar<br />
Khachatryan.<br />
Swarovski Gallery<br />
Special Events Auditorium<br />
Eagle Hall<br />
Eagle Garden Hall<br />
Sasuntsi Davit Hall<br />
Sasuntsi Davit Garden Hall<br />
Khanjyan Hall<br />
Visitor Center<br />
Gallery One<br />
The Cafesjian Center for the <strong>Arts</strong>. The formal gardens appear on every level. Photo: Mkhitar Khachatryan.<br />
Entrance<br />
C2 <strong>Armenian</strong> <strong>Reporter</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> & <strong>Culture</strong> | November 14, 2009