Heritage group urges Armenia to preserve Zvartnots Soviet modernist landmark

By Siranush Adamyan

An Armenian heritage conservation organization, Docomomo Armenia, has called on the government to abandon plans to remove the old terminal of Zvartnots International Airport from the country's register of protected monuments, warning the move could set a dangerous precedent for the protection of Armenia's architectural heritage.

In a statement released on Aug. 6, the group said the government had initiated a process to strip the former terminal of its status as an immovable historical and cultural monument of national significance.

The circular terminal, one of Armenia's best-known examples of Soviet-era modernist architecture, was granted protected status only a year ago, on Aug. 14, 2025, following years of advocacy by architects, preservationists and civil society. The designation was approved by the current government.

Docomomo Armenia said it was unclear what legal or cultural grounds would justify reversing that decision, noting that the building has remained unchanged since it was added to the state register.

The organization argued that the terminal's transport function or infrastructure needs should not be used as grounds for revoking its protected status.

"If the same reasoning would not be applied to a medieval monastery, fortress or bridge, it should not be applied to modernist heritage either," the group said, arguing that monuments from different historical periods carry equal cultural value and enjoy the same legal protection.

Docomomo Armenia warned that even considering the proposal could set a precedent that would allow authorities to remove legal protection from other heritage sites in the future.

The statement cited previous examples of protected sites that lost their status, including the Sevan Hotel, which was later demolished; the Kanaker-Zeytun canal, which was destroyed; and the summer hall of Moscow Cinema, whose demolition was halted after public protests, but whose future remains uncertain.

The group called on the government to withdraw the proposal and urged the company operating Zvartnots International Airport to revise its expansion plans to preserve the landmark terminal.

It also said its members were prepared to provide professional expertise to support conservation of the building.

The government's draft decision, published on Aug. 6, would remove the old terminal from Armenia's state register of protected monuments, potentially clearing the way for its partial or complete demolition as part of plans to expand the airport.

The future of the terminal has been debated for years. Preservationists regard the building as an internationally significant example of late Soviet modernist architecture, while airport operators have argued that it no longer meets the operational requirements of a modern international airport.