Yerevan Council Member Acquires Ejmiadzin Cinema Building, Plans Residential Complex

The member of the Yerevan City Council from the "My Step" faction, Vazgen Darbinyan, has purchased the former "Garun" cinema building located near the central square of Ejmiadzin for 160 million drams through his company "Ava Granite". The plan is to construct a multifunctional residential complex on the site, as reported by Hetq.am.

On April 18, a public discussion regarding the preliminary design of the planned construction took place, led by the community leader Diana Gasparyan. Representatives of the "Ava Granite" company presented the sketch proposal. It was revealed that after the reconstruction, only the architectural arcades of the building's façade will be preserved, while a 35-meter-high skyscraper will rise behind it.

The tallest building in the vicinity is the seven-story administrative building of the Ejmiadzin municipality. According to the design, the new building will have ten floors and will additionally feature an underground parking garage for approximately 80 cars.

According to the company's representatives, the first two floors will contain public spaces, including cafes, two cinemas—each with a capacity of 50 seats—and entertainment areas for children. Of course, these movie theaters will be significantly smaller than those of the former cinema.

Seventy-three-year-old Harutyun Aghumyan, a resident of Ejmiadzin, recalls the bustling halls of the cinema opposite their building where families would watch movies together. He mentions that he couldn't date his future wife at the cinema, as their house was just a few meters away and in full view of everyone. He remembers that the cinema had two halls, large and small, and there was a café inside. On certain days, it was even difficult to buy movie tickets, and they would often look for acquaintances to help.

Upon learning about the project to demolish the cinema and build a multifunctional building, Harutyun Aghumyan rushed to the municipality. He and other residents of building No. 107 on St. Mesrop Mashtots Street are opposed to the idea of constructing a multi-story building in place of the former cinema. They argue that there are five-story buildings in the area, and the existence of a high-rise building could cause serious difficulties for residents.

"Now our future living situation is at stake: whether we stay in our homes or after the construction of the high-rise decide to sell and leave," says Harutyun Aghumyan.

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