Officially Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, also known as Demirchyan Arena, Sports & Music Complex, or simply Hamalir, is a large sports and concert complex with 184 stairs leading up Tsitsernakaberd hill which dominates over the western parts of Yerevan, near the Hrazdan River gorge. In August 2015 the government of Armenia decided to sell the complex to a private firm with plans to renovate the complex and turn it into a "family-oriented center".
History
The complex was opened in 1983 but forced to close within a year and a half after a fire in 1985. A renovation process took place until the end of 1987 when it was ready again to host concerts and sport events. The complex was designed by a group of Armenian architects: A. Tarkhanian, S. Khachikyan, G. Pogosyan and G. Mushegyan. The construction process was supervised by engineers: Hamlet Badalyan and I. Tsaturian, A. Azizian and M. Aharonian. In 1990 Ian Gillan's band has played concerts there. 32nd Chess Olympiad also took place at Demirchyan complex. In 1999, shortly after the assassination of the former speaker of the Armenian parliament Karen Demirchyan in the Armenian parliament shooting, the complex was renamed in honour of him, for his contribution in the construction and the renovation of the complex during the Soviet era. On October 9, 2005, the complex was sold for US$5.7 million. The contract was signed between the Armenian Government and the Russian BAMO Holding Company. Murad Muradian, an Armenian from Moscow, the head of the BAMO holding, attempted to gain the support of Yerevan citizens who were hesitant about the privatization of the building. Two conditions were put forward by Armenian president Robert Kocharian: The name of the complex must not be changed and it must preserve its functional meaning. The organization agreed to these conditions and a commitment to make an investment of nearly 10 million US dollars was envisaged for the upcoming 3 years. The renovation process took almost 3 years and its cost grew up to 42 million US dollars, thus turning the complex to a modern and a high level sports and concerts arena. On October 31, 2008, exactly after 25 years of its first inauguration, the second opening ceremony of the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex took place with the presence of president Serzh Sargsyan, catholicos Karekin II, Karen Demirchyan's son Stepan Demirchyan and widow Rima, and a huge crowd of Yerevan's residents. Popular concerts and ice skating shows were included in the ceremony. The Russian figure skating legend Evgeni Plushenko was the surprise guest and performer of the day. In August 2014, due to the accumulated debts of the owners, the Government of Armenia transferred the ownership of the complex to the Ministry of Defense. In August 2015, the government of Armenia decided to sell the complex to NTAA Investment Group LLC, which planned to spend 4 years turning the complex into a "family-oriented center" that will include "hotels, indoor waterpark, concert halls, meeting rooms, restaurants, shops and a casino."
Structure
The complex has a unique design, an outside view of the whole construction reminds the shape a big bird opening its wings. Its architectural concepts include a turning tribune of 1,008 seats, that can rapidly connect the two big halls to reveal additional seating, a concept for which the architects were awarded the USSR State Prize, the highest of its kind, in 1987. The complex consists of the following halls:
The main arena used for sporting events and concerts with a capacity of 6,000 seats, expandable to 8,800 seats.
On 16 October 2009 the concerts hall was crowded with rock fans who came to enjoy the performance of the British rock band Uriah Heep.
On 12 November 2009 the American jazz musician and singer George Benson performed a concert in the concert hall. The event was held within the framework of "Perspectives XXI" 10th Armenian international music festival.
On 25 May 2010 the English rock band Deep Purple performed a charity concert with more than 10,000 fans filled the arena. The concert was a benefit performance, with proceeds going towards the construction of a music school in Gyumri, devastated by the 1988 earthquake.
In June 2013 Russian rock-band DDT, while being first time in Armenia, performed a concert in the concert hall.
In October 2015Charles Aznavour performed a concert in the concert hall. He has a personal dressing room in the complex.
On 26 October 2017 the American jazz musician Marcus Miller performed a concert in the concert hall. The event was held within the framework of "Yerevan Jazz Fest 2017" annual international festival.
