Gozar: Iranian Cultural Park

The severed relationship between Iran and the United States is encapsulated within the abandoned architecture of the former Iranian Embassy. In essence, architecture has become the physical manifestation of a problem. This thesis will investigate how architecture can embody cultural healing by revitalizing the abandoned site of the former Iranian embassy. Indeed, architecture has the presence and authority necessary to begin to mend severed ties between two major global entities. Ultimately, the project proposes a Gozar—an arrangement of architectural interventions within a cultural park which reveals the true culture: the food, music, costume, language—of Iran, as a way of combating the stereotypes about Iran that have prevailed throughout the United States. The proposed cultural park seeks to bring hope and vibrant interaction within this underutilized space. Temporary, yet timeless, interventions located within the premises of the abandoned Iranian Embassy will create a place that engages visitors with the customs and history of Iran.