The residential building at the junction of Gaza Street and Ben Maimon Boulevard in Jerusalem's Rehavia neighborhood is opposite one of the city's best known landmarks - the prime minister's residence at the corner of Gaza and Balfour Streets. The building, which has a preservation order on it, has recently undergone major renovation, after being bought by a private developer.
During the renovation, as part of the TAMA 38 earthquake strengthening and urban renewal program, three floors of apartments were added to the original two floors. The building was constructed in the 1930s, shaped as a ship with its prow facing eastwards, marking the forked junction of Gaza Street and Ben Maimon Boulevard. The ground floor has been used for commercial purposes and the building is best remembered for housing the Moment Cafe, the scene of a horrific suicide bombing during the Second Intifada in March 2002, when 11 Israelis were killed.
The renovation and construction work was designed by Netanel Meir of Yoma Architects, who has kept the historic building in its entirety and added three more floors above. The two original floors will be used for commercial purposes with luxury apartments in the three new floors. On each floor there is one apartment with the salon and kitchen facing east and the bedroom facing west.
Meir said, "Our challenge was the meeting of the old building with the new one. It was important for us to distinguish between them, both in terms of mass and materials. In the historic building the spaces are much more closed and heavy. In the new areas there is an envelope, which allows play on the level of openness."
Daniel Buzaglo from the Tzimuki Real Estate Agency, which specializes in luxury homes in Jerusalem, said that to the best of his knowledge the building belongs to the French-Israeli businessman Laurent Levy who prefers to rent out rather than sell his properties. He said, "The entire building is for rent. I estimate that it will cost NIS 30,000 per month to rent one of the apartments. These are prestigious apartments of the highest quality there is with a lot invested in them. You don't see many apartments like this in the city. If he decides to sell the apartment and I don't believe that will happen, then the price would be NIS 55,000 per square meter. They have done very impressive work here. He took a building that was rather ugly and has put a pearl on this corner. He has raised the standard of the street."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on May 23, 2021
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