Yerevan Cascade / Jim Torosyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan, & Sargis Gurzadyan

Architects: Jim Torosyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan, Sargis Gurzadyan
Year: 1980
Photographs: Yerevan Cascade, Fountain jets. / Kel Squire, Shaun Dunphy, Marcin Konsek, Diego Delso, Hundnase, Vyacheslav Argenberg, vascoplanet.com, Well-read MountainMan, Antimion, Gerd Eichmann, wediditourway.com,
City: Yerevan
Country: Armenia

Yerevan Cascade monumental complex designed by Jim Torosyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan, and Sargis Gurzadyan in Yerevan, has restructured the city’s topography by linking the urban center to Victory Park through five stepped terraces and 572 stairs, completed in stages from the 1980s and revitalized in 2009. Originally envisioned by Alexander Tamanyan in the 1920s, the project was reinterpreted with monumental staircases, escalators, courtyards, and sculpture gardens, blending Soviet-era monumentalism with cultural and public functions. Interrupted by geopolitical and economic crises, construction resumed in 2002 through a partnership with the Cafesjian Museum Foundation. Architect David Hotson led the integration of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, which opened in 2009 with ten galleries and over 500 works focused on contemporary glass art. Outdoor sculpture platforms feature artists such as Botero, Chadwick, and Flanagan, forming a continuous public art promenade. The complex includes accessible vertical circulation, hosts concerts and educational programs, and connects to major cultural sites, remaining open 24/7 as a permanent civic space in Yerevan.

Yerevan cascade / jim torosyan, aslan mkhitaryan, & sargis gurzadyan

The Yerevan Cascade (Կասկադ in Armenian) is a monumental terraced complex in Yerevan, Armenia, integrating architecture, landscape, and urban planning. Measuring 302 meters in length and 50 meters in width, and covering a total area of 13 hectares (32 acres), the structure is composed of five stepped terraces ascending a 15-degree slope, connected by 572 steps. It forms a north–south urban axis that visually links downtown Yerevan to Victory Park at the top of the hill, offering panoramic views of the Ararat Valley and Mount Ararat. This architectural landmark connects the historically residential northern districts with the cultural and civic core of the city. Its base begins at Tamanyan Street in the Kentron district—adjacent to the Opera House and Matenadaran—and extends uphill to Monumental Terrace, home to the “Monument to the 40th Anniversary of Soviet Armenia”, standing at a height of 118 meters.

The original concept of cascading waterfalls and terraced gardens was proposed by architect Alexander Tamanyan during his master plan of Yerevan in the 1920s. A bronze statue of Tamanyan, created by Artashes Hovsepyan and unveiled in 1974, stands at the base of the complex. In the sculpture, Tamanyan leans over a large stone slab resting on two smaller ones—the left representing Armenia’s ancient architecture, and the right symbolizing the modern era, illustrating his role in bridging these epochs. In 1970, 34 years after Tamanyan’s death, the idea was revived by Yerevan’s chief architect Jim Torosyan, in collaboration with Sargis Gurzadyan and Aslan Mkhitaryan. While inspired by Tamanyan’s original plan, Torosyan introduced significant modifications, including monumental staircases, courtyards, exhibition halls, an internal shaft containing escalators, and landscaped gardens featuring sculptures. His intention was to create a space of cultural significance that blended monumental Soviet-era design with recreational and artistic functions.

Construction began in the early 1980s using white travertine stone, the only material available in the volume required for such a scale. However, work was suspended multiple times due to large-scale events and geopolitical crises: first during the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to budget reallocations across the Soviet Union, again following the 1988 Armenian earthquake, and finally during the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. In the post-Soviet years, Armenia’s economic crisis and limited public funding left the structure in a partially completed state.

Revitalization efforts began in 2002, when the Government of the Republic of Armenia partnered with the Cafesjian Museum Foundation, led by Armenian-American businessman and philanthropist Gerard L. Cafesjian, to complete the Cascade. Architect David Hotson was brought in to lead the design of a contemporary art museum integrated into the existing structure. Over the next seven years, almost every part of the complex was renovated or reconstructed. The final result was the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, officially opened in 2009, transforming the monument into an open-air museum and cultural hub. The museum includes ten exhibition halls and multiple galleries such as Gallery One, Khanjyan Gallery, Eagle Gallery, and the Sasuntsi Davit Garden Gallery, featuring permanent and rotating exhibitions. Works from the Gerard L. Cafesjian Collection—which includes more than 500 pieces—are on display, with a strong emphasis on contemporary glass art. Artists featured include Ivan Mares, Jaromir Rybak, Pavel Trnka, Jon Kuhn, Herb Babcock, Jan Zorichak, Bertil Vallien, and Armenian artists such as Robert Elibekian and Oshin Yeghiazaryan.

Outdoor sculpture gardens line the Cascade platforms and feature internationally recognized works by Fernando Botero (“Roman Warrior”, “The Cat”), Lynn Chadwick (“Sitting Forms”, “Stairs”, “Two Watchers”), Barry Flanagan (“Acrobats”, “Hare on Bell”), Paul Cox (“Ahoy”), Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová (“Open Window”), and Jaume Plensa. The surrounding courtyards and green spaces are integrated with these sculptures, forming a continuous, publicly accessible art promenade. The Cascade complex includes a shaft with indoor escalators and elevators that connect each terrace level, making the ascent accessible to all. The outdoor stair platforms act as informal amphitheaters, hosting concerts, film screenings, lectures, and public events, particularly in warmer months. Educational programs for adults and children are organized regularly, and the site draws over a million visitors per year.

Beyond the upper Monumental Terrace, visitors can continue toward Victory Park, where the Mother Armenia statue—housing a military museum—overlooks the city. In the vicinity of the Cascade are several other cultural and civic landmarks: the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, and the Lovers’ Park. The Cafesjian Center for the Arts and the Cascade’s interior galleries are open Friday to Sunday, 10 AM to 8 PM, while the interior escalators operate daily from 8 AM to 8 PM. The outdoor park and terraces remain open 24/7, making the complex an enduring presence in Yerevan’s civic life.