NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIA

On April 18 was the birthday of the famous Armenian architect, academician Jim Torosyan. In 1971-1981 he was the chief architect of Yerevan. He is the author of buildings that even today are the priceless jewels of the Armenian architecture.

The old building of the City Hall of Yerevan, the Metro station “Republic Square” with all the above-ground and underground constructions, the statues of M. Nalbandyan, Al. Myasnikyan,  Egh. Charents, V. Hambardzumyan, Av. Issahakyan in Gumri, tombstones of V. Saroyan and P. Sevak, the current Yerevan City Hall premise with its History Museum, Spitak Central Square, entrance and outdoor altar of St. Etchmiadzin cathedral, the Cardiology Scientific Research Institute  complex are all erected by the layouts and plans of the great architect.

Jim Torosyan was the popular architect of the former USSR, a professor of the International Academy of Architecture, an academician of the Moscow Department of the International Academy of Architecture, an honorary member of the Academy of Architecture and Construction of the Russian Federation, foreign member of the Academy of Architecture of the Ukraine. Throughout his life, the great architect was awarded with the USSR and the Armenian SSR State Prizes, he was the winner of the gold medal of the Academy of Arts of the  former USSR, as well as the panunion competition he won the award for the “Best Composition”. Jim Torosyan also received “Anania Shirakatsi” medal of the RA. In 2006 and 2009 he was awarded by the medal and the prize of the Prime Minister and the President of the RA. He was the honorary citizen of both Yerevan and Spitak cities.

Jim Torosyan was born on 18 April 1926, in Yerevan. He graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Yerevan in 1949. In 1954 he graduated from the Academy of Architecture of the USSR in Moscow. In 1962-1964 Jim Torosyan was the vice president of the UAA, and since 1958 he was the director of the architecture studio of the “Yerevan Project” Institute. Since 1957 he was a member of the Union of Architects of Armenia. His works have been presented at international architectural congresses in Barcelona, ​​Sofia, Venice and elsewhere.

Jim Torosyan died on 5 January 2014 in Yerevan.