Northern Avenue (Yerevan)

The Northern Avenue

Northern Avenue (Armenian: Հյուսիսային Պողոտա), first conceived by Alexander Tamanyan, is a pedestrian avenue in Yerevan, linking the Opera House with Republic Square.

History

Although it was planned in the earlier part of the 1900s, and no construction was allowed in this section of the city, the actual plan was never implemented during Soviet times. A decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the city of Yerevan decided to begin construction on the avenue. According to the original plans, The National Gallery and History Museum in Republic Square was never meant to be built where it is, so Northern Avenue ends near the building, rather than open directly into Republic Square.

Implementation

The cash strapped government could not afford to build the new avenue, so it was determined to let private interests finance it. First, the government bought up all the small properties along the route of the street, consolidated the land into larger, more buildable lots of land for high-rise developers, and auctioned those lots off. This process was done section by section, and raised a great deal of complaints from the previous landowners who were not compensated at market prices - and whose land was being resold at much higher prices. Coercion has been alleged, a lawyer for the previous landowners was arrested and later released, and some of the old landowners have promised to take the case to international Courts.

Gallery

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  The entrance from Tumanyan street

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  The avenue in winter

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  The Opera House as seen from the avenue