polis: a collective blog about cities worldwide

‘Architectural Megalomania’ in Armenia

by Katia Savchuk



The Cafesjian Center for the Arts opened in Armenia’s capital last week. Despite (or because) the center is “a mad work of architectural megalomania” and resembles “an Art Deco version of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon rising nearly the height of the Empire State Building,” the museum is lifting the spirits of the struggling country — or at least offering a distraction.

Credits: Photo of the Cafesjian Center from the New York Times.