Shota Kavlashvili ( ka, შოთა ყავლაშვილი; 28 January 1926 – December 1995) was a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

architect and

historic preservationist Preservationist is generally understood to mean ''historic preservationist'': one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects, or sites from demolition or degradation. Historic preservation us ...

, best known for his work in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

during the postwar Soviet period.

Career

Misc Shota Kavlashvili Old Tbilisi Model c1980

Kavlashvili was among the most prolific Georgian architects of the Soviet period. His works include some of the most inventive civic architecture in the capital city of

, including the Laguna Vera swimming complex and the Central Bus Station. Kavlashvili also served as Chief Architect of Tbilisi (1970-1974; 1980-1990), overseeing the preservation of Old Tbilisi and the creation of the country's first urban historic district in 1975. In 1994, he was appointed Vice-Mayor and Chief Architect of

Poti Poti ( ka, ფოთი ; Mingrelian: ფუთი; Laz: ჶაში/Faşi or ფაში/Paşi) is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near t ...

. In recognition of his efforts, the city renamed a street in Old Tbilisi after Kavlashvili, and his statue (by sculptor Tengiz Kikalishvili) was added outside the old city gates on Baratashvili Street in 1999. He is buried at the Didube Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures in Tbilisi.

Major works

* Griboyedov Square apartments and wedding house (1958) * Baratashvili Bridge (1964) * Laguna Vera (1965-1978) * Ramishvili Street apartments (1970-1974) * Central Bus Station (1973) * Gruz-Film Studio City (1976) * Ministry of Internal Affairs Headquarters (late 1970s) * District Soviet of Peoples Deputies (1977) * Baratashvili Wall restoration project (1979) * Tbilisi Museum of Archaeology (1988-''unfinished'') * Sheraton Metekhi Palace Hotel (1989-1991)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kavlashvili, Shota 1926 births 1995 deaths Burials at Didube Pantheon 20th-century architects from Georgia (country) Architects from Tbilisi Preservationist architects Date of death missing