At a distance of about 100 meters from the water tower and the fire department station in Heinrich Heine Square, at the edge of Gan Shmuel, is the former "Heart of the Carmel" hotel building which is now a wing of the "Avangard Residence" sheltered housing.
Lev Carmel Hotel
The Lev Carmel Hotel was inaugurated in 1938 and was the largest and most modern of its kind in Haifa at the time. The 2-story building was designed by the architect Moshe Hat and carried the characteristics of the international style: the use of simple engineering bodies, such as a glazed half cylinder, embossed rounded balconies, steel railings made of thin rods, rectangular openings and more. The finishing material was white plaster - another sign of the international style.
The building is located in a spacious garden. All of his spacious rooms had hot and cold water and even had a telephone and radio. The building was also equipped with a bowling alley. Many concerts, tea parties and conferences were held there. From the roof garden it was possible to get an impression of the view of the sea spread out to the west. No wonder that the "Heart of Carmel" was a favorite of the "yikes" population of the central Carmel and also of the officers of the British Mandate. Moreover, it was even confiscated by the British army for security purposes in December 1945.
Architect Moshe Hat, the designer of the building
Moshe Hat (1900-1972), born in Odessa, immigrated to Israel in 1921 and settled in Jerusalem. In 1923 he worked as a draftsman in the architect's office Richard Kaufman, the planner of many settlements in Israel, including the Moshav Nahalal and a neighborhood Bat Galim in Haifa. After returning to Israel from studying architecture in Paris (1924-28), Moshe Hat worked in the public works department of the British Mandate in Jerusalem.
In 1934, he moved to Haifa, after winning a competition to design a working class neighborhood in the city. In Haifa he designed many residences, mainly in the central Carmel area. Among his many works in Haifa are the "Beit Dina" retirement home (4 Adam HaCohen St., 1946) and the Bank of Israel building, 24 Independence Road (1964).
The "Heart of Carmel" was saved thanks to a public struggle
The "Heart of the Carmel" hotel was part of a series of pensions and small hotels that characterized Mount Carmel until the 60s, when their decline began. In the early 80s, it was purchased by an entrepreneur who converted it into a nursing home. His plan was to build a new building after the demolition of the original building and on part of the garden that belonged to him. This plan provoked a protest from the residents of the neighborhood. Following the successful public struggle of the residents, the municipality decided to limit the open sheltered housing and declared the "Heart of Carmel" building as a building to be preserved.
regeneration and preservation
About 4 years ago, the construction of a new wing was completed adjacent to the original building that underwent extensive conservation operations. The renovated complex became modern sheltered housing while combining it with the historic building. It can be said that the "elderly" Carmel heart was successfully transplanted into the "young" wing and continues to beat even after 86 years.
Dear readers
The articles in this section are based on open information published in sources such as Wikipedia and other websites and may include various historical inaccuracies arising from the aforementioned sources.
** Moshe Mano, the owner of the Mano Shipping and Mano Holdings Group, is expanding his areas of activity and entering the "sheltered housing" industry, with the purchase of "Avangard Residence", a prestigious sheltered housing complex in Haifa.
Moshe Mano, the owner of the Mano Shipping Group, which owns and manages cargo ships and passenger ships and also serves as a general agent for major shipping companies in the world, has also expanded in recent years into the hotel industry, when he purchased hotels in Israel and abroad. In the real estate field, when he purchased office buildings for rent and invested in technology companies Various.
In recent years, with the increase in life expectancy, the sheltered housing sector has become a sought-after industry. The purchase of "Avangard Residence", a very prestigious place, which has no equal in the north and is among the leaders in Israel, was an opportunity for Moshe Meno to enter the field of luxury housing. His associates point out that in the not too distant future he will invest more in sheltered housing in other places in the country.
The inappropriate addition to the original building is a cancerous growth in the heart of the neighborhood, next to the magical Shmuel Garden. Your article is trending and supportive of those who have the funding.
to Ethan-
I don't know where Kaufman lived. I suggest you ask the Haifa History Association. Shabbat Shalom!
Is it known where and which house Richard Kaufman lived in? Thanks in advance and much appreciated for your work
To Yehuda Eridor
Thank you very much for your words, see you at the exhibition.
Dear David, I continue to enjoy the studies you present on the history and construction in the city, and the lovely illustrations
See you at your exhibition that opens at Beit Abba Khushi this Friday
Old buildings from the pre-state era that were designed and built by Jews are a heritage that proves our rights to this land, the State of Israel did not begin in...1948...so it is a must to preserve.
To Tali Deig:
Thanks so much for your response. If your information is correct, it reinforces the need for a conservation list and its effective enforcement. Shabbat Shalom!
To Nurit Peled:
Thanks so much for your response. Please see my response to a concerned citizen above. Shabbat Shalom!
To a caring citizen:
Thanks so much for your response. The municipality must enable urban renewal at the same time as preserving buildings of historical and architectural value. The key to this is a serious conservation survey and its translation into an effective planning policy. Shabbat Shalom!
Preservation is a necessity for the sake of future generations. History is important. Everything has been said about it. They learned a lesson. The destruction of the Herzliya Gymnasium, which she mourned for generations, tried to restore it. There is no
Like keeping the original and the past
Many of Moshe Het's buildings in the Shambor neighborhood are today in danger of destruction due to the cruel Tama 38 that the municipality does not understand that the entirety of his work is important and that he did not leave wigs from his works here and there and it is painful and strange that his family was the occupier of the Tama... and then they will stick to the front of a blue government and write that this is where he lived?? The residents of Haifa and the conservation department. My name is the city architect and the mayor of the city.
To say that conservation work was carried out in the original building is not accurate. Hism decided during the works to start demolishing the building and the municipality forced a reconstructed reconstruction of the fun. A similar act was done to the casino in Bat Galim, which was also destroyed by the ISM and had to be rebuilt.
Thank you very much, my friend, Shabbat Shalom!
All the best to you my friend Dr. David Bar. Shalom and blessed Sabbath