After the Fire, Will ‘Kanaz’ Be Reconstructed? Will the Building’s Appearance Be Preserved?

Frequent discussions are held regarding the fate of the building, led by both the mayor and the deputy mayor. Currently, there is a project underway to reconstruct the building while preserving its architectural appearance and serving the residents. This was stated by Suren Vardanyan, the head of the Arabkir administrative district, during a conversation with journalists about the ‘Kanaz’ cultural house.

In response to a reporter's observation regarding citizens' concerns that the building might be demolished, Vardanyan disclosed that the municipality has no plans to demolish the building but has a reconstruction plan in place. When asked whether it is possible for the building to be transformed into a hotel or residential building, and if such proposals are acceptable, Vardanyan replied: “I exclude any discussions of this kind. The consequences of the fire are such that it will be possible to renovate and reconstruct. In discussions with the rescue service, it became clear that preserving the architectural appearance is definitely possible, and the reconstruction will be specifically for maintaining the architectural appearance,” he noted.

It should be recalled that on March 25 at 19:12, an alert was received by the operational management center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations regarding a fire in one of the buildings on Freedom Avenue in Yerevan. It later became clear that the fire was in the non-operational four-story building of the ‘Kanaz’ cultural house.