The idea of establishing a direct link between the Monument and the city center occurred still in the Soviet Union era, more precisely in 1970s. Back then Yerevan city architect was Alexander Tamanyan (1878-1936), who proposed that the northern and central parts of the city be connected. In other words, the city’s historical residential and cultural centers were to be linked. The picture he had in mind included a large green area with waterfalls and gardens. Nevertheless, this idea remained on the paper and would be completely forgotten if one day it were not brought forth by Jim Torosyan, Yerevan’s Chief Architect. It was in late 1970s.
Torosyan used Tamanyan’s plan as the basis, but at the same time incorporated his own ideas. The way he pictured the link between the northern and the central parts was via an exterior monumental stairway and a series of indoor escalators. Accordingly, the two parts of the city would not only be linked, but would also be easily accessible. Other than the stairway and the indoor escalators, Torosyan’s plan envisaged courtyards and outdoor gardens, which would include various sculptural works portraying Armenia’s history and cultural heritage.
The construction of the complex based on Torosyan’s plan started in 1980s. The construction was, however, frozen because of the earthquake that occurred in 1988 and later on, because of the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1991 Armenia became an independent state, which was great but it also meant to face every problem on your own, for which Armenia was never prepared. Besides, Armenia appeared in a most severe economic hardship. In this regard, the construction of Cascade was definitely not the first thing to be completed. As a result, it remained neglected for over a decade and it was not until 2002 that the construction resumed. It was initiated by Gerard Cafesjian, who founded the Cafesjian Museum Foundation and restored the Cascade monument turning it into one of the world’s principal centers for arts. Notably, every piece of the monument was renovated.
In front of Cascade there are numerous small green areas with flowers beautifully planted in a way as to make a piece of art work. There are lots of interesting statues sure to attract every visitor’s attention. The statues are very valuable. Among them works of such renowned sculptors as Lynn Chadwick (British sculptor, one of the giants of 20th century art), Barry Flanagan (Welsh sculptor), Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova (Czech couple), Paul Cox (English sculptor), Jaume Plensa (Spanish Catalan artist and sculptor) and Fernando Botero (Colombian artist) are presented.
