A historic building on Harav Kook Street in downtown Jerusalem was demolished, even though it has been on the city's preservation list since 1968. The demolishing is a severe blow to the city's unique urban fabric. The building, built in the 1920s served as the Herzberg Orphanage and later as the residence of the Lemel School after it was moved from the Old City, and finally as the Ankori School for matriculation studies.
The building is close to the Rav Kook Center, Beit Ticho, and Hadassah College, all of which are historic buildings along Harav Kook Street and Hanevi'im Street in the historic downtown area.
The building was sold to a private developer by the Jerusalem municipality. The project for the lot called for a residential building with at least eight floors.
The Council for the Preservation of Historic Sites said in response, "We're shocked by the decision to demolish this building, and we're astonished that a building that had been on the preservation list for 40 years suddenly had its Urban Building Plan changed without our knowledge or the knowledge of the public."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 3, 2008
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