Court action required as AAA refuses to vacate museum & memorial site

Published: Sunday June 12, 2011

National Bank of Washington building (center) and four structures to the left reverted to the Cafesjian Foundation. PQLiving.com

Washington -

The Cafesjian Family Foundation (CFF) has sought United States District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's aid in evicting the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) from the site of the future Armenian Genocide museum and memorial.   

According to CFF board member Ross Vartian, "all buildings except for the historically designated bank building need to be demolished to make way for the museum and memorial. This includes the property partially occupied by the AAA."

In a June 1 communication to CFF counsel, AAA indicated that it had "no present plans" to vacate prior to 2015.  The property in question was part of a multi-parcel purchase by Gerard L. Cafesjian that was conditionally granted for the construction of a memorial and museum no later than December 31, 2010.  

Since the project was not completed on time, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ruled in January and May of this year that the properties reverted to CFF in accordance with the grant agreement.

In May 2009, AAA leadership arranged to give AAA a tenancy on one of the properties located at the site of the future museum and memorial.  The lease was designed to last through 2015, well past the date on which the properties reverted to CFF.

CFF attorneys argued in a June 6 motion that the AAA's lease agreement is not valid since as a matter of law "a lessor cannot grant a lessee more property rights than it possesses itself" and that the court-upheld reversion of property meant that the lease should simultaneously terminate.

"Obviously the community cannot wait for the AAA's lease to expire some four years from now and construct the Armenian Genocide museum and memorial by the centenary on April 24, 2015.  CFF is ready to join a pan-Armenian effort to proceed with this long-deferred project," said Vartian.

Editor's note: For the full text of the CFF motion link to http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/motion-to-enforce-judgment.pdf