Art Deco also had the prominent role in shaping Lalezar, a 1600 meter long northsouth street 15 meters wide, in central Tehran between Enghelab, the city’s main eastwest street and Toopkhaneh, the largest square in the city, just to the north of the bazaar. Its plan structure is based on the “ passage ” -ar- cade. But it is being destroyed rapidly, with no protection at all.
Below - Lalezar [ W ] + Jomhouri [ N ] - An exceptional treatment of terrazzo for the full height of the ground floor. However, recently it has been callously painted over, while the upper curved cement section as well as the cute portholes in it have been buried under an horrendous shop sign. The early Cinema Mayak, whose fine eleva- tion can be just discerned on the left of the opposite page image was demolished recently. SOS - no cultural heritage protection obviously.
Below - Lalezar [ E ] + Jomhouri [ N ] - similar to its opposite corner shown on the opposite page bottom right, the upper polished ce- ment horizontal section curves out - what could possibly have been the connection ( ? ).
Above and opposite page top - Hotel Laleh - by Arme- nian Iranian Vartan Hovannesian - could be consid- ered as a Baroque Art Deco perhaps. The elevation is in terrazzo which usually was used for floors, steps, and details. This is one of the very few known cases of the use of terrazzo for a whole facade.
Left - Melli St - off Lalezar [ W ] - At the time, such blocks were mostly residential. We cannot but imag- ine the lifestyle and the ambience then.
Lalezar [ E ] # 405 - Stone buildings in Tehran usually belong to the later generations. However, this is clearly Deco. The railings were usually tubular, which was the case generally with both Deco and Modernist works. But here flats and small rectangular sections have been employed too on the balcony parapets.
Opposite page - Lalezar [ E ] - The northern neighbour of Cinema Iran ( the southern neighbour is almost identical ) - Four prominent pointed vertical projections feature expressively at meeting the horizontal capping. Note also the balcony parapets and the wooden stair windows.
Below - Lalezar [ E ] - Similar to the case on the opposite page and also Hotel Laleh, also in Lalezar, the finish here is in terrazzo. The fondness for introducing curves is shown here in the concave middle section. The great variety in details that is an Art Deco characteristic should not be overlooked, here for example in the form of the wide and slightly projected pink pilasters.
Lalezar [ W ] + Barbod or Melli [ N ] - Clearly Deco - the charmingness is very much because of the small size of the corner cylinder.
Top right - Lalezar [ W ] # 720.
Below - Lalezar [ E ] - Passage Chelcheleh.
Lalezar [ W ] # 88 - The two pointed volumes containing the windows are combined with balconies on each side. Two tall and slim stair windows are placed in the middle between pointed vertical elements. To their right is an old electrica neon sign. Here buildings of different periods and styles seem to work perfectly together.
Opposite page top left - Lalezar [ W ] - Passage Razzaghmanesh - glass roof and end screen were removed recently.
Bottom left - Lalezar [W] - Melli Street [ N ] - It seems that this street had to include at least one of everything, in- cluding this glass dome.