Renowned Architect of the 20th century

Founder of the New Armenian Architecture

Alexander Tamanian in St Petersburg, Russia

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We hope that you will enjoy learning about the life and the incredible accomplishments of our renowned ancestor Alexander Tamanian - the great academician of architecture, city planner, patriot and an outstanding person. Zara and Gagik Tamanian will be very happy to hear from you and can be contacted via email: infotamanian@gmail.com

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Alexander Tamanian
(1878-1936)

Achievements Summary

Alexander Tamanian has achieved an incredible amount of success in the Russian Empire. He became a member of the Academy (academician) of Architecture of the St Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts at the young age of just 36! For his design of The Shcherbatov House in Moscow, Tamanian received a Gold Medal in 1914 - the most prestigious award for excellence in Russia.

Alexander Tamanian was the Vice-President of St Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts, the Chief Architect of the First Republic of Armenia, People's Architect of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) in 1926 and the member of the Academy of the Institute of Sciences of the Armenian SSR in 1930.

Alexander Tamanian has created his greatest masterpieces in his much loved motherland Armenia. He enriched the neoclassical style so characteristic of his earlier work with forms of medieval Armenian architecture. Alexander Tamanian's work has laid the foundations for a new Armenian architecture known as the "Tamanian School".

Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, with its incredible views of Mount Ararat, owes much of its layout to Tamanian's urban master plan. Tamanian's magnificent plan of the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Yerevan was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life held in Paris, France in 1937. Sadly Tamanian did not live to see that award.

For his design of the Government House in Yerevan, Alexander Tamanian was posthumously awarded Stalin's Award in 1942. Despite all the success that Alexander Tamanian achieved, he remained a very modest, honest and humble person throughout his life.

Deserving a Personal Museum

We have just mentioned only a small fraction of what Alexander Tamanian achieved in his short 57 years of life. His contribution to Russian and Soviet architecture, the architecture of Yerevan and to the revival of Armenian architecture as a whole is invaluable. 

Kochubey's Mansion in Tsarskoe Selo

One of the early manifestations of Alexander Tamanian's ingenious talent was the creation of Kochubey's mansion. Vasiliy Petrovich Kochubey was a wealthy landowner and the chief master of ceremonies of the Russian Imperial court. He received Tsar Nicholas II's permisson for the construction of a mansion in Tsarskoe Selo (translated as Tsar's Village) imperial residence, in the present-day town of Pushkin near St Petersburg in 1911. This beautiful mansion is still standing proudly at 4 Radishchev Street today and houses a hotel and an educational centre.

Vasiliy Petrovich Kochubey (1868-1940)

Alexander Tamanian's design of the mansion was approved in 1911. Prominent painter/ sculptor Eugene (Yevgeny) Lanceray began to work on the interiors of the mansion together with architects V.I. Romanov and V.I. Yakovlev in 1913 and completed work in 1914, without deviating from the original plan of Alexander Tamanian.

Alexander Tamanian's design of Kochubey's mansion, 1911

This elegant and comfortable mansion with luxurious interiors and magnificent facades was built in the neoclassical palace style. The majestic facade adorns the main entrance in the form of a six-column portico of the Doric order. The luxurious interiors of the ceremonial White Marble Hall, the Golden Lounge (also used as a music salon), the Pink Dining Salon, the Hunting hall and the Personal office of V.P. Kochubey amazed people with their splendour. The richly decorated corner fireplace in the Personal office was unique as the history of the Kochubey family was encrypted in its decoration.

Please click here to see this building in real life.

The beautiful facade of Kochubey's mansion

The Entrance Hall. * most furniture and paintings are not the originals

White Marble Hall. * most furniture and paintings are not the originals

The splendid "Golden Lounge". * most furniture and paintings are not the originals

The mansion withstood the 1917 Russian revolution but the entire Kochubev family emigrated later to Belgium. Vasily Petrovich closed his mansion, left all the keys and a note in the entrance hall: "I received it from Russia - I am returning it to Russia." The fate of the mansion unfolded as follows: it was nationalized (taken by the government from the private owner), during the Great Patriotic War (WWII) the mansion was occupied by the Germans, who destroyed its luxurious decoration. In the post-war period, the Kochubey mansion had been repeatedly restored. Fortunately, this beautiful building is still being utilised and enjoyed today.

Pink Dining Salon. * most furniture and paintings are not the originals

Corner fireplace in the front office

The rear view of the mansion

Mansion with the elegant front fence

The chairman of the Society of the Moscow-Kazan Railway, Nikolai Karlovich von Meck decided to build a new village for his employees at the Prozorovskaya station, present-day Kratovo, in the Moscow region between 1910-1914. Famous architects and urban planning engineers were involved in the project: Vladimir Semyonov, Alexey Shchusev, Alexander Ivanitsky, Nikolai Buniatov (Buniatyan, who in 1924 became the chief architect of the city of Yerevan) and Alexander Tamanian. The village was designed as a garden city with 25-50 mansions for 300 residents, mostly 1-2-storey houses with private yards and a medical-sanatorium facility. The garden city was only partially built as WWI (1915-1918) soon broke out, which interrupted almost all creative plans.

Design of a mansion in Kratovo

The Sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, city of Zhukovsky

The bridge in Kratovo

Alexander Tamanian designed and built central workshops for the Moscow-Kazan Railway Society in Lyubertsy, Moscow region in 1916. He also designed and completed the decoration of the Executive Hall for the Moscow-Kazan Railway Board's Headquarters, with the participation of artists Alexander Nikolaevich Benois and Eugene Lanceray. There were 6-8 architects working alongside Tamanian at his home workshop in 1910-1914. Throughout the entire working life of Alexander Tamanian everything was being designed by hand because there were no computers or computer-aided programs which could assist the architects and designers.

Design of the Executive Hall of the Moscow-Kazan Railway Board's Headquarters

After many productive and successful years in architecture and achieving considerable "fame in the artistic field" in Russia, Alexander Tamanian was nominated by the academicians of St Petersburg Imperial Academy of Fine Arts- Alexander Benoit, F. Berenshtam and A. Shusev to receive a great honour of becoming a member of the Academy - an academician. The nomination was successful and Alexander Tamanian was awarded the title of the Academician of Architecture (Member of the Academy) on 27th October, 1914. He was just 36 years old!

Moving to Armenia & Making a Difference

For many centuries Armenia, a Christian nation, was under the Ottoman Empire’s rule. Young Turks came to power in Turkey in 1913 and they perpetrated The Armenian Genocide in 1915. More than 1.5 million Armenians as well as 1 million Greeks and 800,000 Assyrians were killed in various atrocious ways. Survivors of the Genocide were scattered around the world, many reached the Russian Empire and Eastern Armenia.

Eastern Armenia, which was then a part of the Russian Empire, fought off numerous invasions of the Ottoman Empire during WWI and won The Battle of Sardarabad between the 21st -29th of May in 1918, just 40km from the capital city of Yerevan. The Armenian National Council declared the Independence of Armenia on the 28th of May 1918. Armenians from Russia and everywhere rushed to the Republic of Armenia to rebuild the Motherland.

The Coat of Arms of the First Republic of Armenia was designed by Alexander Tamanian and painter Hakop Kojoyan in July, 1918. Compared to the current Coat of Arms, the symbols in this earlier version were placed in a slightly different order, with the eagle and the lion sticking out their tongues, giving them a more menacing look. Mount Ararat is depicted while Noah's Ark is not.

  Coat of Arms of Armenia by A. Tamanian and painter H. Kojoyan, 1918

Current coat of arms of Armenia adopted on 19 April, 1992

Alexander Tamanian moved to Armenia in mid-1919 to offer his knowledge and expertize in the difficult task of restoring the Motherland and to make his dream of living and working in his motherland a reality. He set to work in Yerevan as the Chief Architect of Armenia. It was a very difficult time for the country and almost nothing was being built. Having extensive construction plans, architect Tamanian studied local building materials, especially stone and the possibility of developing new quarries. From his first days in Armenia, he began to study ancient architectural monuments and organised their protection. With a special pass from the government to study ancient architecture, Alexander Tamanian visited the cities of Ani, Aparan and ascended along the eastern gorge of Aragats Mountain to the waterfall in October, 1919.

Yerevan in the early 1920s was a dusty provincial town with poverty, disease, famine

Alexander Tamanian's family- wife Camilla Matveyevna and their children moved from Anapa to Erivan (Yerevan) and the family was reunited in 1920.

The Union of Architects of Armenia was established with the aim of further developing Armenian architecture in Yerevan in 1932.

Source of historical information from Encyclopedia Britannica:

A. Tamanian and a builder at the reconstruction of Yererouk Basilica, 1928

Master Plan of Yerevan, Capital of Armenia

Yerevan is one of the oldest surviving cities in the world. The year of its foundation is considered to be 782 BC, when the king Argishti I of the Armenian Urartu Kingdom founded the fortress city of Erebuni (now Yerevan). Yerevan is 29 years older than Rome! The creative talent of Alexander Tamanian found an expression in urban planning when he began to work on the Master Plan for the reconstruction and urban development of Yerevan in 1919. His plan was approved by the Council of People's Commissars, a Soviet government authority, on the 3rd of April, 1924. Yerevan became the first city in the Soviet Union for which a general reconstruction plan was developed. The city was initially envisaged for 150,000 inhabitants. This figure was revised as the industry began to develop rapidly and the country's population began to grow fast. From the initial approval of the project and until the end of his life, Alexander Tamanian did not stop working on revising and improving the Master plan.

Taking into account the harsh continental, very hot and dry climate of Yerevan, Alexander Tamanian designed it as a garden-city with many green spaces. He did not as such follow the principles outlined by Sir Ebenezer Howard, the English urban planner and founder of the garden city movement in Europe, where the green areas were mostly enlarged private home yards. Tamanian's planning included public parks, boulevards and green areas along the sidewalks of the streets, thus the width of the streets was increased against the norm adopted for northern cities by 3-10 metres. In the planning of Yerevan, Alexander Tamanian applied a radial-ring network of streets, which facilitated transport links between the city centre and its districts.

A. Tamanian developed the Master Plan of Yerevan

According to Alexander Tamanian's plan, the city consisted of several districts. In the centre of the city, the architect placed an administrative district with state institutions such as the Government House and other important buildings, arranged around a new oval square being created, which was named after Lenin and is now Republic Square.

A. Tamanian's Plan of an option for Lenin Square, Yerevan, 1929

Near the administrative district in the south-west direction Tamanian placed a shopping area with buildings of a commercial nature arranged around a market square. Not far from the market square in the south-eastern direction Tamanian placed an industrial area with railway tracks in such a way that the wind would take the dust and soot away from the city.

A. Tamanian's Plan of Yerevan, 1932 version

Two of Alexander Tamanian's original ideas were implemented with huge changes over the decades - the Northern Avenue and the Museum Cascade. According to Tamanian's idea, the Northern Avenue was going to connect the two main squares - Lenin, now Republic Square and Theatre, now Freedom Square. Current Northern Avenue was opened in 2007. It is a pedestrian street with expensive apartment buildings, big brand shops and cafes. The idea of a museum complex Cascade was originally conceived by Alexander Tamanian in 1927 to connect the central and northern parts of the city with a vast green area with waterfalls and gardens cascading down from The Kond hill, one of the highest points in the city. Unfortunately, this plan remained largely forgotten until Jim Torosyan, then chief architect of Yerevan, revived it with many new ideas in the late 1970s. The Cascade complex now houses the Cafesjian Center for the Arts.

The Cascade was built in 1970s, 80s, 21st century...

Modern Yerevan is called a "pink city" because of the unique volcanic stone of characteristic cream and pink shades used in the construction of its many buildings. Alexander Tamanian chose this stone called "Tuff" which is found in abundance in Armenia and rarely can be found outside the region. Yerevan is the only large city built from this stone. After Alexander Tamanian passed away in 1936, the basic principles of Yerevan's urban development plan were distorted. Such were the times...

A. Tamanian's Plan of Nor Arabkir city, Armenia, 1925

A. Tamanian's Plan of Nubarashen village, Armenia, 1926

A. Tamanian's Plan of Lukashin (Armavir) village, Armenia, 1926

A. Tamanian's Plan of Vaharshapat (Ejmiatsin) city, Armenia, 1926

Alexander Tamanian in his workroom, Yerevan, 1930s

The Government House, Yerevan

The majestic building of the Government House in Yerevan has a special place in the work of Alexander Tamanian. It is truly a masterpiece of architecture, created at the highest world-class level.

Alexander Tamanian designed a government building for People's Commissariat for Land Affairs in 1926-1928, which he perceived as the first building of an ensemble to be built on the Lenin Square, now the Republic Square. It should be mentioned that Alexander Tamanian always supervised the construction of the buildings which he had designed. At the construction site, the architect always carefully examined every detail, talked to the foremen and workers and very stringently monitored the quality of all work. The building of the People's Commissariat for Land Affairs was built using pink tuff, a traditional Armenian volcanic stone and with a basalt base. The building was completed in 1929.

 The Government House - a magnificent building, located at the Republic Square in Yerevan

Alexander Tamanian was elected a full member (Academician) of the Institute of Sciences of the Armenian SSR in December of 1930. With great enthusiasm, Alexander Tamanian worked on the design of the Government House in 1932-1936. The architect harmoniously combined the new building with already constructed building of the People's Commissariat for Land Affairs.

A. Tamanian's design of  The Government House, Yerevan. Central top part was not built due to limited funding, which altered the look and reduced the functionality of the building

The building of the Government House is striking in its beauty with powerful stone arcades, colonnades and graceful curves. A tall clock tower, topped with a rectangular rotunda and the Armenian flag decorate the main facade. Alexander Tamanian had revived the art of the Armenian stone sculpture, giving it a new content. The intricate stone ornamentation of the building includes traditional motifs such as imaginatively intertwined branches of grapes and pomegranates, sheaves of wheat and the heads of birds and animals. The superb craftsmanship of the Armenian stonemasons (done by hand) is worthy of admiration!

The modified plan

After the untimely death of Alexander Tamanian, the project was masterfully completed by his eldest son, the talented architect Gevorg (George, Georgiy) Tamanian, who for many years was the "right hand" of his father. The large conference hall for 600 people in the Government House was completely designed by Gevorg Tamanian. The Government House was built with large cuts from the original plan due to lack of funds. Despite this, the building is very impressive in its beauty. The main part of the building was completed in 1941 and the entire building in 1952.
 
For his design of the Government House, Alexander Tamanian was posthumously awarded Stalin's Award in 1942.

The Government House- always striking in its beauty

Beautiful side of the building

Take a look at the building (video is in Armenian and opens in Facebook) 

Detail of the building

Intricate stone ornamentation

The superb craftsmanship of the Armenian stonemasons

Anatomicum of the Medical Institute

  The National Library of Armenia

Maternity Hospital, 56 Abovyan St, Yerevan, founded by Professor Grigor Areshyan
(now Beglaryan Medical Center Maternity Hospital). Photograph courtesy of Michael Kadilov

Observatory at Yerevan State University

A. Tamanian's design of the Politechnic Institute

Institute of Physiotherapy, 54 Abovyan St, Yerevan (now Police Medical Centre).
Photograph courtesy of "Мой Старый Ереван - Իմ Հին Երևւան" (My Old Yerevan) Facebook group

List of Major Projects of the Great Architect Alexander Tamanian

Alexander Tamanian - Projects in Russia

• 1904-1906 - Project of reconstruction of the Armenian Apostolic Church of St Catherine on Nevsky Prospekt in St Petersburg. Restoration of two destroyed foundations of the church, with a check of its strength by technical calculation. The liberation of the church of various additions, the renewal of the church porch, the repair of its interior decoration, the renewal of the choir, the vestibule and the measurement of the church. The church was built at the end of the 18th century by architect Yuriy Felten, professor and dean of the Academy of the Arts. Design options for the reconstruction of residential buildings at No. 40 and 42 on Nevsky Prospect, belonging to the Armenian Church
  
• 1906 - Design of a house-mansion for Prince Semyon Abamelek-Lazarev in St Petersburg
  
• 1906 - Design of an Orthodox church with a wooden school
• 1906 - Design and construction of two wooden mansions in the vicinity of St Petersburg
• 1907- Project of reconstruction of the house-mansion of Glushkov (“The Houses with peacocks”) in Tsarskoe Selo, in collaboration with architect Nikolai Lanceray. The author of the sculptural compositions is Yakov Troupyansky. The mansion was destroyed during WWII
  
• 1907- Interior design of "Café de France" in the residential building No. 42 on Nevsky Prospect, belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church in St Petersburg. With participation of famous architect Vasiliy Schuko and famous painter Eugene Lanceray
• 1908 - Draft design of the museum in city of Ani in Armenia, commissioned by archeologist Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr, who led the excavations there
• 1909 - Upgrading the facade and the terrace of the house of Prince B.A. Kurakin in the Oryol province
• 1909 - Design of a house with retail premises in St Petersburg on Nevsky prospect
• 1909-1913 - Design and construction of a stone embankment, projects for the arrangement of a park and decoration of the facades of houses in the Ilovna estate of the Master of Ceremonies of the Imperial Court, count A.A. Musin-Pushkin in Yaroslavl province. In the same estate, the restoration of the facades of the stone church, the renewal of dilapidated ceilings within the church, the repair and restoration of the original form of parts of the church, distorted by previous repairs. In the early 1940s the estate was flooded by the Rybinsk reservoir
• 1909-1913 - Design and construction of a stone house-mansion and services buildings at "Borisogleb" estate of the Master of Ceremonies of the Imperial Court, count A.A. Musin-Pushkin. In the early 1940s the estate was flooded by the Rybinsk reservoir
• 1911-1913 - Project and construction of a house with apartments for Prince S.A. Shcherbatov in Moscow. The house consisted of the owner's mansion and 28 rental apartments
  
• 1911-1912 - Design and construction of a mansion for chief master of ceremonies of the Russian Imperial court V.P. Kochubey in Tsarskoe Selo, now town of Pushkin near St Petersburg
• 1913 - Design and construction of The Yaroslavl Exhibition Pavilions in Yaroslavl, north-east of Moscow for the 300th anniversary jubilee of the reign of the Romanov royal family
  
• 1913 - Interior decoration of the meeting hall of the Lifeguards of the First Artillery Brigade in St Petersburg
• 1913 - Design of an Orthodox church on request of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna
• 1913-1914 - Design and construction of the building for the flight office of the Life Guards of the First Artillery Brigade in Krasnoe Selo
• 1914 - Design of a house-mansion for F.N. Beza to Petersburg
• 1914 - Design of a Russian foreign trade bank. In addition, other projects, constructions and drawings of objects of the arts industry
• 1914 - Design of the apartment house of E.V. Gabrichevskaya
• 1914 - Design of the building for the countyside land council in the city of Volokolamsk, Moscow province
• 1913-1917 - Design of a garden-city for the employees of the Moscow-Kazan railway in the village of Prozorovka (now Kratovo) in collaboration with civil engineer V. Semyonov. Projects of houses for rent, design and construction of a hospital complex and a bridge
• 1915 - Reconstruction of the hall, vestibule, stairs and other premises in the mansion of V.I. Firsanova (former Polivanovskaya Gymnasium) on 32/1 Kropotkinskaya Street in Moscow. The work was done with sculptors A. Kudinov, M. Strakhovskaya and painter A. Yakovlev
• 1915 - Design sketches of a home theater with a moving stage for Countess Elizaveta Vladimirovna Shuvalova in St Petersburg
  
• 1916 - Design and decoration of the Executive Hall of the Moscow-Kazan Railway Board's Headquarters 
  
• 1916 - Preliminary sketches of a house design in the estate of the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanova in the Voronezh Region
• 1916 - Design and construction of the central workshops of the Moscow-Kazan railway in Lyubertsy
• 1916 - Production design for A. Block's "Rose and Cross" play in collaboration with painter M. Dobuzhinsky at the Moscow Art Theatre. The staging was not carried out
• 1918 - Production design of Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" for the Tragedy theatre of actor Yury Yuryev, together with painter M. Dobuzhinsky, set designer O. Allegri and director A. Granovsky. The play successfully premiered at the arena of the St Petersburg's Ciniselli Circus
• 1918 - Design sketches of a theatre of mass folk performances in cooperation with director A. Alekseev-Yakovlev
  

• 1918 - Coat of Arms of Armenia, together with painter H. Kojoyan

• 1920 - Reconstruction project of the Ghantar market in Yerevan

• 1920 - Reconstruction project of turning a part of the first floor of the theatre in Yerevan into a music school, now Theatre of Musical Comedy
• 1921 - Development of the Master plan of capital city of Yerevan
  

• Design of the house facade of the Consul of the Republic of Armenia Mushegh Ter-Zakaryan
  
• Design of Melkon Baghdasaryan's house in the Karashenk part of Lilava district
• Design and construction of the Pantheon on the territory of the Armenian Church of St Sarkis in the Lilava district
• Development of Mr. Avag Street (Parnava)
• Design and construction of buildings on one of the central streets of Tabriz
  

• 1923 - Further development of the Master plan of Yerevan. The plan was approved on April 3, 1924 at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars of the Armenian SSR
• 1923 - Design and construction of Yerevan's First Hydroelectric Power Station and its substation. Construction was completed in 1926
• 1923 - Management of the construction of irrigation and hydraulic structures in Armenia: Small canal in Sardarapat (now Hoktemberyan), irrigation system of the Aygr lake, etc.
• 1925 - Design and construction of a pumping station on the Ayger-lich lake
• 1925-1932 - Urban plans of cities and villages in Armenia: Leninakan, Echmiadzin, Arabkir, Lukashin, Hoktemberyan, Stepanakert, Nor-Bayazet (now Kamo), Akhta-Akhpara (Hrazdan), Nubarashen (now Sovetashen). Project and construction of the dacha (mansion) of the Council of People's Commissars in the gorge of the Hrazdan River in the city of Yerevan. Sanatorium project in Dilijan
• 1926 - Urban Plan of a student city in Yerevan
• 1926 - Design and construction of the Anatomicum of the Medical Institute. Construction was completed in 1933
• 1926 Design of a private house for Doctor H. Gabrielyan
  
• 1926 - Design and construction of the Gynecological institute. Construction was completed in 1959
• 1926-1928 - Project and construction of the building of the People's Commissaria for Land Affairs (part of the future Government House). Construction was completed in 1929
• 1926-1936 - Design and construction of the People's House- the Opera and Ballet Theatre named after A. Spendiaryan and of the Great Concert Hall. The building was founded in 1930. The construction of the theater was completed in 1939, the Concert Hall - in 1953. After the death of Alexander Tamanian in 1936, the project was completed and the architectural supervision was carried out by his eldest son, architect Gevorg Tamanian. The theatre project was awarded a "Gold Medal" at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1937
• 1926-1932 - Design of typical residential buildings for villages of Lukashin, Nubarashen and other settlements
• 1927 - Design and construction of the Physics-Chemistry (later Polytechnic) institute. Construction was mostly completed in 1935
• 1927 - Design and construction of the Physiotherapy Institute. Construction was completed in 1935
• 1927 - Design and construction of a residential building on Pushkin street. Construction was completed in 1929
• 1927 - Design of a museum town in the Kond district in Yerevan
• 1928 - Design of a mechanical plant in Yerevan
• 1928 - Draft of urban planning and reconstruction of city of Leninakan
• 1928 - Design of a private house for Doctor S. Kamsarakan
• 1928 - Design and construction of the Scientific Research Institute of Armenia (now National Public Library). Construction was completed in 1938
• 1928 - Design and construction of a Zoology and Veterinary Institute. Construction was completed in 1930
• 1929 - Revision of the master plan of capital city of Yerevan
• 1929 - Design and construction of student campus accommodation in Yerevan (with the participation of architect A. Zakiyan). Construction was completed in 1931
• 1929 - Design of a two-storey private house for renowed painter Martiros Sarian, where the artist lived from 1932-1972 and which became a part of his House-Museum
• 1930 - Planning and design of buildings for a children's park near hotel "Sevan" in Yerevan
  
• 1930 - Design and construction of an Observatory in Yerevan. Construction was completed in 1933
• 1931 - Design and construction of the Meteorological station on Mount Aragats. The project was partially implemented in 1932
• 1932-1936 - Design and construction of the Government House of the Armenian SSR. The construction of the main part of the building was completed in 1941. After the death of Alexander Tamanian in 1936, the project was supervised and completed by his eldest son, architect Gevorg Tamanian. Alexander Tamanian was posthumously awarded the Stalin's Prize for the Government House in 1942
• 1932 - Further development of the Master plan of Yerevan
• 1932 - Detailed planning of the central part of Yerevan
• 1932 - Design and construction of  the Children's clinic (with the participation of architect Mark Grigoryan). The construction was completed in full in 1975
• 1932 - Competition project of the Labour Palace (with the participation of architect Mark Grigoryan)
• 1933 - Design and construction of the Higher Communist Agricultural School (with participation of engineer Vartpatrikyan). In 1935, the part overlooking Teryan Street was completed, which is now one of the buildings of the Polytechnic Institute
• 1934 - Design and construction of a residential building on Tumanyan street (between Teryan and Abovyan streets, with participation of architect O. Khalpakhchyan, who completed the development of the project). Construction was completed in 1938
• 1934 - Design of a residential building for the Armentorg plant in Yerevan
• 1934 - Draft of a new version of People's House (Opera Theatre) in collaboration with the academician of painting E. Lanceray. The building was to be crowned with a monument of Lenin
• 1934-1936 - Draft of the Master plan of "Greater Yerevan"
  

Remembering Alexander Tamanian

Alexander Tamanian lived a very fast paced life without any rest, having never used his vacation entitlements. His family life was mainly a happy one (see our Family page). The historical documents present Alexander Tamanian not only as a brilliant architect, but also as an outstanding human being, public figure, humanist and patriot, with a great sense of responsibility to his cause and nation. Very few people achieve so much and contribute to society so significantly as did Alexander Tamanian!

Unforgettable Alexander Tamanian

The Armenian wild poppies and a butterfly. Photographs of Zara Tamanian

Sadly, on 20th February, 1936, Alexander Tamanian passed away of pneumonia, aged just 57. It was a huge loss for everyone. It is extremely sad that Alexander Tamanian did not live long enough to build and enjoy his most significant buildings. He never got to see Yerevan, the Government House or the Opera Theatre, all of which he had imagined.

The resting place of A. Tamanian's at the Komitas Pantheon in Yerevan

Alexander Tamanian is buried in the Pantheon, a cemetery in Yerevan which serves as a burial place for prominent figures of Armenian science and culture (address to visit: Arshakunyats Avenue, 18).

Bound Together Forever

newspaper Communist, 19.05.1978. Translated from Russian by Zara Tamanian

Other renowned people about Alexander Tamanian: Tributes

Tamanyan Street

Two parallel streets adjacent to the public park with the monument to Alexander Tamanian bear his name since 1953. Each street is about 200 meters long and about 55 meters wide. The Tamanyan street connects the Cascade with Moskovyan street in the heart of Yerevan.

Views from the Cascade: the Tamanian Monument, the Opera Theatre and Mount Ararat

In the Tamanyan park, there are sculptures of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts which has been located in the Cascade complex since 2009. Among the sculptures you can see the works of the Colombian sculptor Fernando Botero- "Cat", "Woman Smoking a Cigarette" and "Roman Warrior". Museum of Russian Art as well as lovely cafes, shops, bars, restaurants and pubs are located on Tamanyan Street. It is a beautiful part of Yerevan.

Tamanyan Street and sculpture park in front of the Cascade

Tamanyan Street video clip (mainly in Armenian)

There is also a Tamanyan Street in Gyumri (Leninakan), the second largest city in Armenia. The main Square in Gyumri in its present form was built after the 1926 earthquake according to the plan developed by Alexander Tamanian.

Please visit Armenia and Artsakh and feel the warm welcome of the Armenian people! Alexander Tamanian's unique creations are waiting for you in Yerevan!

Alexander Tamanian's banknote

Front side of the collectable 500 AMD banknote

Commemorative stamp

A postage stamp dedicated to Alexander Tamanian was issued in Armenia in 2000.

Alexander Tamanian's postage stamp

Under the influence of Alexander Tamanian's creativity, an architectural school was formed, which can rightfully be named after him. Tamanian's literary heritage consists of several articles and a number of explanatory notes and memorandums. From these Tamanian's statements are cited, grouped into such sections as issues of architectural creativity, the layout of Yerevan and the problems of urban planning and the organization of architecture and construction in Armenia. Tamanian's work was of great importance for the architecture of Soviet Armenia, it was the key to understanding the architectural heritage, developing its traditions and creating a new architecture”.
"Masters of Soviet Architecture on Architecture".
M.G. Barkhin, A.V. Ikonnikov A.V. and others, Art, 1975