Sponsored by the Society of Iranian Architects, Hoor Translation and Research Institute, House of Iranian Artists and the Tehran Armenian Council, in the second half of Nov. 2002, an exhibition and celebration of the architectural works of three Armenian architects — Gabriel Guevrekian, Paul Abkar and Vartan Hovanesian — was held in the House of Iranian Artists. In the beginning of the session, the role these three Armenian architects (and others in their generation) played in forming the architecture and the urban spaces of that period was explained. Afterwards, those who were present at the meeting adopted and signed a text opposing the current that is ruining the urban visage of Tehran. They also demanded that the authorities pay more attention to this problem and cooperate in order to put an end to this current.
In the last week of Aban 1381 — through the cooperation of the Society of Iranian Architects, the support of the Hoor Translation and Research Institute, the House of Iranian Artists and the Tehran Armenian Council — a tribute and exhibition of the works of three Armenian architects, Gabriel Guevrekian, Paul Abkar and Vartan Hovanesian, was held at the House of Iranian Artists. At the start of the event, engineer Behrouz Pakdaman spoke about the personal and professional lives of these three architects and introduced their intellectual foundations and architectural principles. He referred to the development of the visage of Tehran from the late Qajar period onward and to the influence of modernism on the cityscape — shaped by the work of architects of the second and third generations, namely Guevrekian, Abkar, Hovanesian, Mohsen Foroughi and others. He noted that during this historical period the urban visage of Tehran possessed a coherent, memorable and lovable harmony, but that following the unfavourable changes of the 1340s (1960s) and after — rooted in shifts in social and economic foundations — the destruction (under various pretexts) of the valuable legacies of the middle-period fabric began, and these harmonious, memorable and lovable expressions of the city's visage are gradually being erased.
At the end of the gathering, the audience drafted and signed the following letter, expressing their concern at the present pace of destruction of Tehran's urban visage and demanding that the destruction of valuable buildings — the works of architects such as Guevrekian, Abkar and Hovanesian and other architects who, in the middle period of contemporary Iranian architectural history, played a striking and...
— Letter signed by the audience —
The signatories of this letter, on account of the destruction of buildings of the middle period of contemporary Iranian architectural history — including the works of Gabriel Guevrekian, Paul Abkar and Vartan Hovanesian, a number of which have shaped the visage of Iranian cities and Tehran in particular — are deeply concerned. For this reason, they ask the honourable officials of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization, the Tehran Municipality and the related agencies to take all the measures necessary for the preservation of, and the prevention of damage to, the valuable buildings of this period — whether they belong to the private or to the public sector. After the close of the exhibition, this text will be sent to the Society of Iranian Architects for the necessary follow-up.
The signatories of this letter, in addition to specialists (architects and urban planners), included a number of officials and city stewards. Among them were:
- Mr Mokhtari, Deputy Director for Preservation and Revival, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Tehran Province.
- Mr Sane'inezhad, Deputy Director for Urban Management Development, Tehran Municipality.
- Mr Davudian, the elected representative of the Northern Armenians in the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran.
It is plain that concern about the destruction of the fabric in question is not confined to specialists; even some respected officials are dissatisfied with these measures, as the handwritten note of Mr Mokhtari at the foot of the letter testifies.
It seems the problem comes back to the recognition and identification of the buildings and the precious works of the influential architects of the middle period — there can be no doubt about the determination of the worthy officials to preserve and revive them.
The Society of Iranian Architects of Iran, on behalf of the great family of architects in the community, while expressing its hope and its readiness for cooperation between the specialists in this field and the authorities for the recognition, preservation and revival of the surviving buildings and works of the middle-period fabric, presents the following proposals:
- The middle-period fabric of Tehran be studied comprehensively in its historical, social and other dimensions.
- After this period and its contexts have been studied and recognised, research be carried out on the surviving valuable buildings, and their issues be assessed and analysed.
- The relevant existing organizations — directly, or through the creation of a new body charged with the responsibility in this area — set the policies and the foundational principles in light of the points raised.
- With the policy of the relevant organization defined, the necessary programme be drawn up for the various stages of the work.
- It is self-evident that the cooperation and participation of the people in this important matter will produce better and richer results; and therefore, in parallel with the proposals above — to acquaint the citizens of Tehran with the spiritual, cultural and economic interests of life in the city, and to awaken in them as fully as possible their sensitivity to environment and to space — appropriate educational, social and cultural measures be devised.
— The Society of Iranian Architects of Iran
