Qasr Garden Museum

Historic background and significance of the heritage property

Qasr Garden Museum is a part of 200 years old history of Tehran, which used to be located outside the city limits when it was built. By city development and political changes (the Qajar dynasty to Pahlavi) it became a prison within the context of the city. Qasr hosted the imprisonment of dissidents and politicians for years in the first and second Pahlavi's regime and by a new change in political vision of the country by Islamic Revolution in 1978 it remained as a general prison.

after almost 3 decades, according to the General Plan policies of Tehran Municipality, regarding excluding urban functions, such industries, prisons, military barracks from the cities to develop green space, on 10/14/2006 a request to change the function of Qasr prison offered to the municipality.

Tehran municipality considering the historic value of the site, as it is the first modern prison in the country, appointed one of the company's subsidiaries for development of their cultural contexts as director of the project. Cultural Spaces Development Company in Tehran, afterwards became the employer is part of a project to restore the historic gardens and museums related to the topic, to advance the project.

Condition before conservation

besides the obligated problems because of the function of the place on the building and being neglected for many years and being disliked by citizens since being the heart of unlucky matters , multiple non- technical restorations in different times had led to a thick material layer on the roof and walls and in some cases led to the movements of the main load-bearing walls.

Summary of conservation project

The whole process is as follows:

1) Measurement of existing buildings to achieve to current situation

2) Review and understand the pathology and treatment plan with consultant

3) Identification of the different components in the garden

4) Recognition and thematic networks of water supply and sewage disposal, and fire retardants.

5) Implementation Consultant Proposals with the status quo, to find less destructive ways

6) Starting the restoration and conservation

The implementation of the reform and modernization is like below:

Rehabilitation: Improvements to eliminate corrosions.

Renovation: improving the old contexts.

Fourth sentence: Current use and condition of the heritage property

Construction of Qasr Garden Museum is not only a development project for converting a dark prison into a green and bright garden museum. This place is a historically valuable building which not only the present generation but generations to come would need as a historical and cultural center.

Fortunately the function of this place has totally changed from a fence surrounding prison to a public garden. In other words, the garden is added space to the public spaces of the city and obviously the people who use it now are more satisfied in comparison to the past. The existing buildings which used to be frightening prisons are now bright and beautiful galleries, libraries, amphitheatre, cafes and restaurants which attract citizens from every part of the city; consequently the quality of the neighbourhood has increased. The gate of the prison after the conservation has changed to the official section as well.