Argo Factory: Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre by Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture – North | 2021-11-22 | Architectural Record
Enriched with historic houses and old buildings turned into vibrant coffee shops and new galleries, revitalized parts of Tehran are responding to an emerging generation of artists and art seekers looking for spaces to gather, socialize, and create. Argo Factory: Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre is one such venue, a nearly 100-year-old abandoned factory that has found a new life after art patron Hamidreza Pejman bought and transformed the building into a museum and gallery space for contemporary art. The project was led by Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture – North (ASA North), a New York–based practice with a satellite office in Tehran. Argo Factory has become a notable destination within the complex urban fabric of the megacity inhabited by 14 million people.Once a brewery, Argo Factory was built in the District Twelve neighborhood, known as the “heart of Tehran,” with some of the most treasured old buildings in the city. Argo (the name of the beer once made there) is a few blocks from the legendary Ferdowsi Square to the north and Lalehzar Street, the birthplace of contemporary Iranian theater, to the east. During the early to mid-20th century, Iranian artists, writers, and intellectuals frequented the famous Naderi Café nearby.
