Kegham Kavafyan

Kegham Kavafian or Keğam Kavafyan (Armenian Գեղամ Գավաֆյան; * 1888 in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, † November 30, 1959 in Switzerland) was an Ottoman architect. He designed construction plans of the Süreyya Opera House in Kadıköy district of Istanbul.

Biography

Kegham Kavafian was born the son of Armenian parents in Istanbul. He received his primary education at the Surp Hac Tbrevank school in Üsküdar. He continued his education at the Academy Berberian. In 1910 he graduated from the École des Ponts ParisTech in Paris.

After he returned to Istanbul, he began to design numerous buildings in the city and renovate. At the suggestion of the deputy of Istanbul, Süreyya Ilmen was Kegham Kavafian architect of Sureyya Opera House, whose construction was completed in 1927. The opera house is considered to be the first music theater of the Anatolian part of Istanbul. Kavafian renovated in 1917 also damaged the Armenian Mhitaryan school in the district Pangaltı of Istanbul. He was from 1917 to 1927 rector of the Armenian Getronagan Lyceum. Kegham Kavafian died at the age of 71 years during a therapy in Switzerland.