Demolition of Georgian Architectural Landmark Sparks Outcry

Demolition is underway on Tbilisi’s Rike Park Music Theatre and Exhibition Hall, a futuristic two-structure complex nicknamed the “Rike Tubes,” prompting protests from residents, architects, and preservation advocates. Tbilisi City Hall’s Architectural Service issued a demolition permit in June to the owner, Rike Dom, with dismantling beginning last month and scheduled to finish by December, according to reports cited by Reuters and local outlets. Italian architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas of Fuksas Studio were commissioned to design the venue in 2010 under then–Prime Minister Nika Gilauri and President Mikheil Saakashvili, with construction starting in 2011. After the Georgian Dream party took power in 2012, officials froze the project, leaving it unfinished, and critics now argue the landmark has become a defining feature of the city’s skyline.

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