Shota Rustaveli Avenue

The original building located at 19, Rustaveli Avenue was built in 1840 and belonged to Mamuka Jambakur-Orbeliani. The two-story building was decorated with three large wooden balconies. In 1866, hotel "Lira" was opened here, which was later renamed "America" and "Bayarsky Rooms". There were shops on the first floor, and hotel rooms on the second floor. In 1905, the first winter cinema "Electronic Flashlight" was opened here. In 1910, the building was bought by Mikael Aramiants, a merchant of the first guild, and it was decided to thoroughly reconstruct it, which was entrusted to Alexander Ozerov, a well-known architect at that time. After the reconstruction of the building, in 1914, the "Pallas Hotel" was opened here again. It was a luxury hotel with an elevator, central heating, bathrooms, electricity, a two-story Gothic style restaurant. In the same building, the well-known cinema "Arfasto" operated in Tbilisi, this name is an abbreviation consisting of the names of his five children (Aram, Flora, Anna, Solomon, Tamara, Ovanes). However, unfortunately, in a few years, namely in 1918, the building was completely burned down. Only the facade of the Ozerov building remained. The subsequent reconstruction of the building is connected with the years 1923-1924, when the burnt building was restored by the architect M. Abesalomov. The facade of the building, which has reached today, was created in 1910-1914 according to the project of the architect Alexander Ozerov, and the interior is the result of the reconstruction of 1923-1924, which was carried out by the architect Abesalomov. In 1923-1927, the "Institute of Performing Arts" was operating in the building, and since 1933, the "Higher Courses of Performing Arts" functioned. Drama studios were also created near Sakhkinmretsv and Rustaveli Theater, on the basis of which the theater institute was established in 1939. However, at the same time, there were many institutions of different functions in the building.