Construction of the tower is subject to preserving the Ramat Marpeh maternity hospital and strengthening the adjacent Givolim School against earthquakes.
Africa-Israel Investments Ltd. (TASE:AFIL) and its foreign partner have obtained approval from the Ramat Gan Local Planning and Building Commission for their 42-story high-rise with 148 apartments on the city's historic Ramat Marpeh lot. Ramat Marpeh was Israel's first maternity hospital.
Construction of the tower is subject to preserving the hospital building and strengthening the adjacent Givolim School against earthquakes.
Demolition of the Bauhaus-style Ramat Marpeh maternity hospital was blocked five years ago when 500 local residents in Ramat Gan's Gefen neighborhood physically prevented it. The Tel Aviv Regional Planning and Building Commission then intervened, and suspended the hospital's demolition as part of a hearing on an appeal filed by the landmarks preservation council.
During the British Mandate, the Ramat Marpeh maternity hospital treated wounded Jewish fighters, earning the nickname "The incubator of Jewish terrorism" by the British authorities. In the mid-1980s, Maccabi Healthcare Services took over the building for ten years. Africa-Israel bought the property in 2005.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 19, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012