HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

1898, 1905

The building is located on Amiryan Street.

The gymnasium was founded in 1850 with funds from the Yerevan branch of the Caucasian Women’s Charitable Society “St. Nina.” It was a state institution operating under official programs, and instruction was conducted in Russian. Supervision of the school was entrusted to the Governor of Yerevan (1849–1859), Major General Ivan Nazarov, with active participation from Vice-Governor Nikifor Blavatsky.

In 1884, by order of the Trustee of the Caucasian Educational District, the institution was reorganized into a three-grade girls’ progymnasium, and in 1893 a fourth grade was opened thanks to the charitable society. In 1898, it was fully reorganized into the St. Hripsime Girls’ Gymnasium with preparatory, primary, intermediate, and upper levels, seven main classes and an eighth supplementary class, with two divisions (Russian language and mathematics). The reorganization was completed in 1904.

In the 1917–1918 academic year, the number of students was 526, including 352 Armenians and 119 Russians.

As the institution’s reputation grew, the building was reconstructed and expanded. In 1859 or 1860, the school rented two houses with a garden on Nazarovskaya Street (now Amiryan), between Astafyan (now Abovyan) and Karavanatayan (now Yeznik Koghbatsi) streets, which were purchased in 1868. That same year, construction of the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator began across the street, and part of the land allocated to the school was returned to the church.

In 1879, a building for preparatory classes, offices, and a kitchen was constructed. By 1884, the complex included the main building, five classrooms, dormitories, a dining hall, the headmistress’s apartment, and a small auxiliary building for staff.

In 1884, a two-story building was designed (architect Mikhail von der Nonne), which was likely not realized, but expansion continued in the 1890s. In 1892–1893, a two-story annex with nine rooms was built in the courtyard (architect Ivan Vagapov).

In 1898, the main building was constructed on the side of Nazarovskaya Street (with the participation of Vasily Mirzoyan), housing classrooms, offices, a teachers’ room, a library, cabinets, the headmistress’s residence, and a dining hall. In 1903–1904, a second floor was added to a neighboring private house, where dormitories were arranged, while the first floor was converted into classrooms.

In 1905, the complex was expanded with a right-side two-story wing with a basement (architect Vasily Mirzoyan). The basement housed storage rooms, a kitchen, and staff quarters; the first floor contained two classrooms and a physics laboratory; the second floor included three rooms for supervisors and one classroom. Staircases were located at the rear. A separate infirmary building with three rooms and a bathroom was constructed in the courtyard.

During the First Republic of Armenia, the building was nationalized and became an Armenian girls’ school. Instruction was conducted in Armenian, with emphasis on Armenian studies. Part of the building housed the Ministry of Public Welfare and Labor.

From 1921, it functioned as a second-level coeducational school. During the Soviet period, various cultural and educational institutions operated in the building.

By decision of the Yerevan City Council in 1982, the building was allocated to the Yerevan History Museum, which had been located in the Blue Mosque complex since the 1930s. Due to prolonged renovations, the museum moved here only in 1994 and remained until 1997, after which it was relocated to School No. 1 named after Stepan Shahumyan. In 1995, the building was privatized, and since 1997 it has remained abandoned.

The gymnasium is located along the red line of Amiryan Street. The rooms are arranged around an internal courtyard in a semi-enclosed layout. The two-story main building has a rectangular plan (43.2 × 17.3 m, excluding projections). Classrooms are connected by a corridor 2.5 m wide.

The central part of the volume is emphasized. On the first floor is the entrance hall, above which is a hall surrounded by a mezzanine, with a grand staircase and spiral staircases. The adjoining right wing has a corridor-type layout.

The main southwest façade is symmetrical, with a dominant central axis marked by the main entrance. The second floor features three tall arched openings. The remaining windows are rectangular with frames. The façade is made of roughly hewn stone.

The interior decoration is distinctive, featuring simple cornices, columns on pedestals, and complex capitals with floral ornaments and rosettes. The metal railings of the internal staircases are also notable.

The street-facing façade is made of brick and covered with cement plaster, while the remaining walls are stone. Ceilings are flat and wooden, and the roofs are pitched, with a concave central section.

Alterations have been made inside the building.