HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

Early 20th century

The two-story mansion of the Afrikyan family is located on Pushkin Street. The building has an L-shaped floor plan and consists of two parts.

The first is the main building. Its length along the street is 24.3 m, its width including the balcony is 15.5 m, while the balcony itself is 3.0 m wide. The main building has a rectangular floor plan, and its interior space is organized according to a double-row layout. The longitudinal division is formed by load-bearing walls, while the transverse division is created mainly by partitions. One row of rooms faces southwest (toward the street), where the three cantilevered balconies of the second floor are also located. The other row of rooms faces the inner courtyard, as does the hall (the halls measure 64.5 sq. m and 50.1 sq. m respectively; one of the smaller rooms measures 23.1 sq. m; ceiling height is 5.0 m). The side wing joins the main volume at an almost right angle and extends toward the courtyard. Several rooms have dual orientation, facing southeast and northwest (toward the street).

Interior ceiling paintings have been preserved. The first vestibule features a rosette decorated with geometric and floral ornaments, while the second contains images of cupids against a background of sky and flowers. One of the rooms on the second floor also preserves colorful paintings. The building contains wall stoves faced with smooth ceramic tiles.

The structure is built with load-bearing walls of stone masonry. The street façade is clad in finely dressed black Yerevan tuff. The floor structures are flat and wooden, while the roof is pitched and covered with metal.

During the years of the First Republic of Armenia (1918–1920), the house was the residence of General Movses Silikyan, commander of the Battle of Sardarapat (1918). A commemorative plaque dedicated to him is installed on the building. During the days of the battle, Yerevan residents regularly received information about the situation at Sardarapat from the balcony of this very house.

After the establishment of Soviet rule, the building was nationalized. Subsequently, it housed the Provincial Committee and Yerevan Demonstration School No. 1. Later, the building accommodated various offices. In 2017, it was home to the National Cinema Center of Armenia.