Hovhannes S. Donabedian

He was the son of Armenian Genocide survivors and was born in 1924 in the village of Ramallah, just 6 miles north of Jerusalem during the British Mandate of Palestine. Architect, artist and poet for more than 55 years, his talent for art and drawing the human figure was evident at a very young age.

Early Life in Palestine and Lebanon

By the 3rd grade, Hovhannes began attending the Ramallah Friends Boys' School, founded by Quakers. Upon graduation from the Friends' School, Hovhannes chose his father's alma mater, the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a practical goal of studying medicine. Come course registration day, a last-minute change of heart led him to switch lines and register instead for Architecture and Engineering courses. He went on to earn a dual degree: a B.A. in Architecture (in 1945) and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (in 1946). During summer holidays, he returned to Ramallah to visit his family and continue his art studies with Belgian art teacher Gislaine Lambert until her eventual return to Belgium after WWII.

Upon graduation from AUB, Hovhannes returned to Jerusalem working for the British Government of Palestine as an Apprentice Engineer in the Department of Public Works. In 1948, the Arab-Israeli War broke out and necessitated his quick departure. He returned to Beirut where he found success as both an architect and engineer undertaking a wide range of (often simultaneous!) projects that included designing apartments, villas and furniture. In addition, Hovhannes worked from 1951-1956 as AUB's Assistant to the Director of Buildings and Grounds where he was the Engineer in Charge of New Construction (most of it by the office of McKim, Mead, and White). By 1954, he had also established his own successful private practice and was well poised for a bright future in Beirut.

Marriage

In December of 1951, Hovhannes would meet his future wife, Hermine Ohannessian, also an employee of AUB and an Armenian native of Jerusalem. From the outset, one might say there was a definite "spark" between them as from the moment they first shook hands the lights in the building went out! And so began an "electrifying" love story. On October 27, 1952 (just 10 months after they met) Hovhannes and Hermine were married. Their loving and supportive marriage would endure for over 60 years until Hermine's death in 2013.

USA Bound

In the year following the birth of their first child (their daughter Aline), the couple, at Hermine's urging, registered with the American Embassy to come to the United States. Hermine felt there would be greater stability in the US for raising a family and more opportunities for their children. As processing such applications typically took years, Hovhannes went along with the idea, but in just 3 months their application was approved. Reluctant to leave behind the security of their established life and his thriving practice, but having faith in Hermine's vision, the family set off for the United States, settling in Boston in 1956. There, relatives were already well established, and they quickly entered a new way of life.

Boston Career 1956-1999

The Donabedians soon adapted to the Boston area, welcoming the birth of two additional children (David and younger sister Meg) over the next seven years. In fact, it would only be a matter of one week after arriving in the US before Hovhannes secured full time work marking the beginning of a productive US career that would span the next 43 years. Beginning as a structural engineer at Stone & Webster, his talent for architecture won out and he continued on at various prominent firms that included Samuel Glaser & Partners, Campbell Aldrich & Nulty and The Architect's Collaborative, "TAC ," (where he joined their burgeoning Abu Dhabi hospital team, developing an expertise in healthcare design). Hovhannes then joined Shepley Bullfinch and the Boston office of Cannon, where he retired at the age of 75.

Hovhannes' major contributions during these years as a Project or Staff architect include two Abu Dhabi hospital complexes, Boston's Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Long Island's Jewish-Hillside Medical Center (Children's Facility), Cincinnati's St Francis-St. George Hospital, the review of Design Development Documents for I.M. Pei & Partners Federal Triangle Project in Washington DC, University of CT's John Dempsey Hospital Support Building, and innovative Magnetic Resonance Imaging additions for New England's Danbury and Mt Auburn Hospitals.

Throughout his working years as an architect, however, it was always Hovhannes' passion for drawing the human figure and love of life that sustained his art-making and was his raison d'être. Over the last prolific decade he completed over 400 color collages, on an intimate scale, based on drawings from the model.