Plasco Building Building

Address: Arg Square (Meydan-e Arg), Tehran, Iran

The Plasco Building was a 20th-century high-rise in central Tehran that housed shops, workshops and offices and was a landmark feature of the city skyline. It collapsed following a major fire in January 2017 that destroyed the structure and resulted in significant loss of life and widespread media attention.

Constructed during Iran’s mid-20th-century urban expansion, the building had long been used for commercial activities, notably garment manufacturing and retail. After the 2017 fire and collapse the site was cleared and the event prompted investigations and public discussion about building safety, emergency services and regulatory oversight.

The Plasco site is located in central Tehran in Tehran Province, in a dense urban district that had been a commercial heart of the city; the collapse and subsequent recovery operations dominated the immediate neighbourhood for months after the incident.

• 2017 collapse: The building collapsed after a major fire on 19 January 2017, causing many fatalities and injuries and prompting a national review of building safety and emergency response procedures.
• Function and age: Before its destruction the Plasco Building was a multi-use high-rise with retail and garment workshops and was one of Tehran’s notable modern-era high-rise structures dating from the mid-20th century.

The former location is at Arg Square (Meydan-e Arg), central Tehran. From Imam Khomeini Square, walk roughly 10-15 minutes north along the streets that fringe the historic bazaar complex. Several city buses and taxis serve the area; Tehran Metro Line 1 and Line 2 interchange at Imam Khomeini station from which it is a short taxi ride.

• Stand at Arg Square at dawn to see the empty footprint and fewer vendors; the memorial plaque is easiest to read then.
• Ask a local shopkeeper about the night of 19 January 2017-oral recollections are vivid and often more affecting than press reports.
• Combine a visit with the nearby National Museum of Iran to place the building in Tehran's 20th-century urban expansion.