HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

1966; 1933-1936

State index: 1.6.178.3.2

 Architects: Spartak Kntekhtsyan, Telman Gevorgyan

SUMMER HALL

The cinema building is located at the intersection of Abovyan and Tumanyan streets, at Abovyan Street 18. It was constructed behind the already existing main building (winter hall) of the cinema, on the Tumanyan Street side. The original summer hall, which was the first of its kind, has not been preserved (architect: Sahakanush Manusajyan).

Restored in the 1980s, the building received the status of a monument of local significance in 2004. On July 12, 2018, at the meeting of the expert committee of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia, it was designated as a monument of republican significance.

The summer hall is an open-air structure, built on two levels. The first level, situated 0.6 meters below street level, houses the cash register and a summer café. From this level, stairs lead up to the second level, which features a unique foyer, a grandstand, and a cinema screen. The pillars supporting this level exhibit an interesting architectural solution. The spatial division between the first level of the cinema and Tumanyan Street is conditional, with the stairway placed deeper within serving as a transitional element. Despite the area's heavy traffic and proximity to the street, the grandstand and cinema screen are largely shielded from street noise due to proper design, with spectators seated facing away from the street.

The entire structure is made of reinforced concrete plastered with gray cement mortar. The first level features colored paving. There is also a small decorative pool with a fountain, near which is a mosaic by Hovhannes Minasyan.

The summer hall of the “Moscow” cinema is distinguished by its rational structural and operational solutions. A high-value work of modernist architecture, it was created using simple fabrication methods and building materials. In 1967, architects Spartak Kntekhtsyan and Telman Gevorgyan were awarded the Alexander Tamanyan prize for their work on this project.

State index: 1.6.178.3.1

Architects: Tiran Yerkanyan, Gevorg Kochar

WINTER HALL

The cinema is located at the intersection of Abovyan and Tumanyan streets, at Abovyan Street 18. It was constructed on the site of the St. Peter and Paul Church, which was originally built in 1679 to replace a previous church destroyed during the great earthquake of the Ararat Valley and subsequently demolished in the 1930s. The project, designed by Tiran Yerkanyan and Gevorg Kochar in 1933, planned for a seating capacity of 1,400 (2 x 700).

The cinema opened on December 12, 1936, with the screening of the first Armenian sound film, “Pepo.” The building consists of two perpendicular wings connected on the second floor by the volume of the foyer, with cinemas located in each wing. The facades are clad in gray basalt and felsite brought from Noyemberyan town, adorned with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Soviet and Armenian movies such as “Pepo,” “David Bek,” “Sayat Nova,” and “Chapaev,” as well as symbolic sculptures “PAR (Dance)” and “BEM (Stage).”

In front of the building lies Charles Aznavour Square (formerly the square near the “Moscow” cinema), which housed a bronze statue of Khachatur Abovyan from 1933 to 1950 (1913, author: Paris-based sculptor Andreas Ter-Marukyan). The statue was later relocated, and in its place, a pool with a “Signs of the Zodiac” fountain was constructed in 1987 (architect: Arsen Melikyan, artist: Vladimir Atanyan).

The “Moscow” cinema hosted the 11th All-Union Film Festival in 1978. It was closed for renovation in the late 1990s and reopened on September 3, 2000. The square’s pool and fountain were renovated and reopened in 2010. During renovations in 2015, the screens in the large halls were renewed.

The “Moscow” cinema remains a beloved place for Yerevan residents, hosting various events in addition to film screenings. Since 2004, it has been the venue for the “Golden Apricot” international film festival. It is one of the first examples of two-screen cinemas in Soviet architecture, combining the planning and compositional principles of functional architecture (graphic volumes, staircases, large openings, diamond-shaped windows) with classical architectural elements (pylons, main front porch).

“Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO

Yerevan Municipality