אדריכלות ישראלית

2017

נובמבר

111

אדריכלות ישראלית

- קטגורית מחקר

2017

פרויקט השנה

The meeting point between the main streets

of the city - Jaffa road, Rothschild Blv., King

George, the Carmel Market, Ben Yehuda

and Hayarkon, with important buildings

established along it, made Allenby Street

with its 4 squares the most important

commercial domain of Tel Aviv. This changed

during the sixties, after the last of its squares

was demolished as part of the Municipality

policy to adhere to urban values in favor of

transportation.

Along Allenby are 75 houses marked for

preservation, while the demolished public

squares were annoyingly forgotten.

The purpose of this self-initiated study was to

emphasize the importance of conserving the

street as an holistic public space - one that

would make use of its historical buildings as

Between the Squares

Reconstruction of Allenby Street, Tel Aviv

Yoav Messer Architects

Project Architect: Ayelet Safran

Preservation Architect: Iris Horowitz Chelouche

a continuous part of the city.

In order to restore one of the most important

streets of the city, the research involved

an in-depth examination of historical and

existing plans, including documentation

and photographs, integration of residential

buildings, renewal of its commercial

functions, culture and transportation.

Regarding the findings, the office prepared

a detailed documentation file concerning the

demolished squares: “Kikar Hamoshavot”,

which made its name as the starting route

of buses that traveled to the Moshavot;

“Kikar Magen David” situated at the junction

of Shenkin, King George and the Carmel

Market; "Kikar Mugrabi", located at the Ben

Yehuda junction; and Kikar Haknesset which

functions as the “Gateway to the Sea”.

Proposed solutions include detailed

guidelines, such as design language, street

furniture, signs, and building additions.

The concept was examined by the city’s

Urban Conservation Team, and publicly

discussed in the framework of “Houses from

Within, 2017”.

The integration of the new Light Rail on

Allenby - together with the city’s nostalgic

awakening, prominent among which is the

reconstruction of the historic Dizengoff

Square - constitute a fine opportunity to

re-examine the city’s conservation policy,

justifying its fame as one of the most

interesting cities in the world.

Constructed in 1911 under the name Derech Ha-yam, Allenby Street borders Kerem Hateimanim

and Achuzat Bait – the first two neighborhoods of Tel Aviv. The two buildings, marking the

beginning and end of the street, were designedby Architect Yosef Neufeld, who inter alia designed

the Yarid Hamizrach, Assuta and Hadassa Ein Kerem Hospitals. In 1911, it was decided to build

the Great Synagogue and a decade later - the Casino, the first Tel Aviv cinemas – Mugrabi, Ofir

and Allenby, as well as the Kessem Cinema, which was commandeered in 1949 to house the

first Knesset session. In 1918, the name of the street was changed to honor of General Edmond

Allenby who led the battle against the occupying Turks.