Vartan Hovanessian

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Vartan Hovanessian (1896-1982) was an Iranian Armenian architect and an influential figure in architectural design and philosophy. He was born in Tabriz. After high school, he worked as a carpet designer in a German-run workshop in Tabriz before moving to Tehran to teach. After World War I, he went to Paris to study painting, but soon switched to architecture and studied at the École Spéciale d'Architecture. He returned to Iran after about 17 years and worked mainly in civil engineering and building design. He preferred to be called "Architect Vartan" and became a well-known designer of his time. His notable works include Ferdowsi Hotel, the Central Building of Sepah Bank, Sa'ad Abad Royal Palace, and movie theaters like the Metropol and Diana. He also appeared in Iranian architecture magazines and later founded The New Architecture in Tehran. He died in 1982.