Tania's Garden Opens at Yerevan Botanical Garden as a Living Tribute

Tania Chichmanian's legacy blossoms at the Yerevan Botanical Garden, where a new public space embodies her generosity, care, and enduring spirit.

YEREVAN, Armenia, October 20, 2025 — A new 6,055-square-meter public space (65,000-square-foot) honoring the legacy of the late Tania Chichmanian has officially opened in the Yerevan Botanical Garden. The garden is the result of two years of collaboration with the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation and the Institute of Botany of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. Designed as a living, evolving tribute, Tania's Garden was made possible through $243,741 in funding from the Foundation.

From 2011 until her passing in 2021, Tania served as Executive Director of Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC), helping hundreds of volunteers find purpose and belonging in Armenia. Her leadership style, marked by grace, exacting attention to detail, and genuine care, left an enduring mark on the many institutions and individuals she worked with, including sister organization Birthright Armenia.

Now, Tania's memory is rooted in a space where children play, herbs grow, and communities gather.

A space for memory, learning, and joy

The official opening held on October 8, 2025, included a plaque unveiling, a guided garden tour, a community tree planting activity, and a musical reception. Former colleagues, AVC volunteers, community members, and family gathered to celebrate Tania's life and the values she stood for: generosity, dedication, and a deep commitment to Armenia's future.

The bilingual plaque, bearing the garden's name in both Armenian and English—Թանեայի Պուրակ and Tania's Garden—was unveiled at the entrance. It includes a QR code that links visitors to an article, where they can learn more about Tania's life, legacy, and the vision behind the garden.

Designed by SP2 LLC and built by Grig Garden, the space includes winding stone paths, benches, open lawns for reflection, and spaces for community gatherings. From its earliest stages, every detail of the garden was shaped with care and intention.

The space is designed as a multi-layered landscape, combining natural beauty with purposeful features: a garden that invites interaction; a wide variety of herbs and medicinal plants; native trees and flowers; and a handcrafted wooden playground that offers children a space to play and explore.

"Creating this space in Tania's name within this beautiful plot of land in the Yerevan Botanical Garden feels like a celebration of life," said Linda Yepoyan, Chief of Staff for Armenia operations at the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation. "Tania's Garden showcases so many of the things she adored—flowers, children, medicinal herbs, and green open space, to name a few. Even though almost four years have passed, being here reminds us all just how fleeting life is and how much she is truly missed."

 

Investing in meaningful legacy

The H. Hovnanian Family Foundation fully funded the construction of the garden as part of its ongoing commitment to projects that create long-term public benefit.

"This initiative reflects our commitment to projects that enrich communities and honor those who have made a lasting impact," said Korioun Khatchadourian, Executive Director of the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation. "We are proud to support this space in Tania's memory, and we hope that her spirit of service and love for Armenia will continue to flourish here."

The garden stands as both a tribute to an inspiring individual and a gift to the wider community—a living space that will continue to grow, much like the programs Tania nurtured. It joins a growing number of public initiatives supported by the Foundation across Armenia in education, science, arts, and community development.

Learn more about Tania Chichmanian's life, work, and the vision behind Tania's Garden at: https://hovnanianfoundation.org/en/news/tanias-garden-yerevan-botanical-garden. 

Yerevan Botanical Garden Visitor Information:

Located at 1 Acharyan Street, the Yerevan Botanical Garden is a short drive from the city center. The entry fee is 500 AMD (approx. $1.30) and the park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors can reach it by bus (routes 20 and 54, stop: “Botanical Garden”) or easily by taxi and ride-hailing apps such as GG or Yandex.Go. For more details, visit: www.botany.am.

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Since the Foundation's establishment in 1986, H. Hovnanian Family Foundation has earmarked over $100 million for hundreds of initiatives and projects for charitable, educational, scientific, cultural, and other related purposes with a primary focus on assisting Armenian communities worldwide as well as organizations in Monmouth and Ocean Counties in the state of New Jersey.