One of modern Tbilisi’s most high-profile urban scandals appears to have reached its conclusion. City Hall has issued an official permit for the demolition of the famous “tubes” or “pitchers” in Rike Park.
By decision of the municipal authorities, tens of millions of dollars in public funds spent on building the “pitchers” during Mikheil Saakashvili’s presidency will effectively be turned into rubble. The architectural project, originally conceived as a music hall and exhibition venue, was frozen following the defeat of the United National Movement (UNM) party in the 2012 elections. Since then, despite becoming a city landmark, the complex in the heart of Tbilisi has remained abandoned.
Until 2022, the “pitchers” and the accompanying 15,000-square-meter plot in central Old Tbilisi remained state property. They were then acquired via auction by David Khidasheli, a Russian businessman close to the ruling party, who pledged to invest in the site’s development. It was reported that a museum of wine, digital art, and technology would be opened there. However, these promises failed to materialize, and through a convoluted scheme, the “pitchers”—along with the necessary demolition permits—ended up under the ownership of a Turkish holding company. Furthermore, they were sold for far less than their initial valuation.
According to some reports, a hotel, casino, and restaurants will be built in place of the landmark. The decree allowing the development of a hotel project on the site was signed personally by the Prime Minister, who referred to the “pitchers” as an “eyesore” incompatible with Tbilisi’s urban landscape.
Notably, the structure dismissed by the authorities has received numerous prestigious international nominations. In 2021, the world’s leading architecture platform, ArchDaily, officially nominated the complex for its flagship Building of the Year award in the “Cultural Architecture” category. The creator of the “Rike pitchers” is Massimiliano Fuksas, one of Italy’s most renowned architects.
In light of current events, Fuksas admitted that in over six decades of professional practice, this is the first time one of his projects is being destroyed without open dialogue. According to an official statement by Studio Fuksas, the architects spent months in vain offering both Tbilisi City Hall and the new owners pro bono assistance to adapt the building for new uses, including hotel development.
However, the fate of the “Rike pitchers” appears to have depended far less on architectural merit than on politics. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for the ruling Georgian Dream party, these “pitchers” were from the very beginning a symbol of a rival political era.