It’s not without a sense of irony that when Armenia regained its independence from the Soviet Union, they chose the building housing the former headquarters of the Communist Party for the country’s first-ever US-accredited university.

The American University of Armenia was founded in 1991 to provide newly-independent Armenia with Western-style education and diplomas.

The University, which originally only offered masters level courses now also has an undergraduate programme with a number of majors.

Having undergone a number of variations to keep the facility’s infrastructure up to specs, the University offers a nice mix of modern collegial architecture and old Soviet monumentalism.

Having studied there, I would often go to the Green Bean coffee shop for lunch. It’s a great place to relax.

It’s worth visiting if you catch yourself walking up or down Baghramyan Avenue (check my article).