Parts of Historic Buildings of Tehran’s Hassanabad Sq. Ravaged by Fire
A 500-square meter storehouse went on fire in Tehran's historic square of Hassanabad on Wednesday night. The fire spread to other areas but it was put out by the fire brigade. Hasanabad is an historical area within the Monirieh district of the Iranian capital. The area was originally developed during the reign of the Qajar Dynasty (1789-1925). Hasanabad Square was built by the order of Mirza Yusef Ashtiani, the vizier of Naser ed Din Shah, and was named after his son, Mirza Hasan Ashtiani, who then became the Prime Minister of Iran for a period. The surrounding buildings of Hasanabad Square were designed by Iranian-Armenian architect Qelich Baqelian, with the structural engineering provided by fellow Iranian-Armenian architect Leon Tadosian. The square is surrounded by four identical buildings, each covering one corner of the square. After the 1979 Revolution, the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization made efforts in order to re-construct the damaged portions of the buildings. As part of the reconstruction, two additional blue glassy modern floors owned by the National Bank of Iran were added onto the old structure of one of the four buildings.