At 104 Maginin Boulevard, close to the houses of the German colony, is the office building of the Haifa district administration of Klalit Health Services, formerly known as the "Tax Office".
Functional office building
The office building where the general health services management is located today was known as the tax office building of the Histadrut in Haifa. It was inaugurated exactly 60 years ago, in 1964 and was built according to the plans of the architect Monio Gitai Weinroib.
It is a 5-story building above the ground floor that bears the characteristics of the international style. In addition, he is influenced by the architecture that developed in Brazil in the 50s by architects such as Lucio Costa וOscar Niemeyer.
By the way, Niemeyer is also responsible for the plan for the first building of the University of Haifa, the terraced building on which the tower rises. This effect is expressed by the extensive use of exposed concrete and a network of windows equipped with permanent "sunbreaks" designed to reduce the penetration of the sun's rays directly into the building space.
Although the entrance floor is higher than the other floors, it also stands out for its simplicity. The staircase receives a special emphasis in the form of a rounded concrete shell that stands out from the rigid facade. On the ground floor, the concrete columns are sadly reminiscent of the columns inthe residential unit" of Le Corbusier in Marseille. The building as a whole conveys functionality and simplicity, befitting a building created for the dominant workers' organization in "Red Haifa" at the time.
Monyo Gitai Weinroib, the architect of the building
Monio Weinroib (1909-1970), was born in Poland and attended school for a short time Bauhaus The celebrated city of Dresden in Germany. In the Bauhaus, the style of construction with the same name emerged, which in many days was also called the "International Style". In 1934 he immigrated to Israel, settled in Haifa and from 1937 to 1959 was a partner of the Haifa architect Prof. Al Mansfeld, recipient of the 1966 Israel Prize.
This partnership was one of the most fruitful in Israeli architecture. It fell apart due to Mansfeld's participation in a competition to design the Israel Museum, in which he won first prize, without the knowledge of his partner, Weinroib.
After the dissolution of the partnership Munyo Gitai Weinroeb continued an independent career and even taught at the Technion. (Full disclosure: I was privileged to be among his students). He was involved in the planning of public institutions: institutions of the Histadrut (such as the Tax Office), factories (Vulcan, Phenicia), residential buildings for "Red Haifa", dining rooms and residences in kibbutzim.
In his architectural work he was faithful to the principle thatThe form derives from the function(form follows function). Therefore, the architect must focus on the function of the building and not on aesthetics. Indeed, his buildings excelled in great functionality and formal and material simplicity.
The first architecture museum in Israel
Monio Gitai Weinroeb Museum of Architecture (135 Hanasi Sd.) opened in 2012, at the initiative of the son, the director Amos Gitai, who wanted to commemorate his father in this way. The museum was established in collaboration with the Municipality of Haifa while converting the studio where the architect worked for its purpose as an architecture museum, the first of its kind in Israel.
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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.
to Gabi
thank you for your response. The Italian hospital is on the list. good week!
Next to this building, is the most beautiful and special building in the city: the Italian Hospital. It's a shame that Dr. David Bar-on skipped the hospital building and chose to paint the rickety building of the KUPH.
to Eyal
Thanks so much for your response. I agree with the main points of your story. Let's hope that things will start to change after the next municipal elections.
To Ahad Ha'am
Thanks so much for your response. Regarding the dates, it would be desirable if you acted to correct the Wikipedia article on which I relied. Shabbat Shalom!
The building as you can see lacks any consideration for the Templar environment and the lower city. They built monstrous housing estates, including the longest and largest ones in the country, on Leon Blum Street and actually destroyed this beautiful hill, instead of keeping it green and building only on it, they shaved off huge parts of it to the madness of the mass housing builders. Poorly planned housing estates were created in Shaar Aliya, a hazard that continues to this day. All the buildings were functional - yes, that is - lacking any real thinking about integration or contribution to their environment, only their function. It is not clear what should be praised for the many urban hazards they left behind.
In a framed article, Haifa is compared to special and interesting public buildings, probably only Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will "earn" serious investment in special cultural buildings while Haifa is destined to sink and peel off in outdated buildings. The city does not invest in renovating and renewing the public and educational buildings in the city, but only some cosmetics. The last serious building erected by the Haifa municipality was the engineering directorate, and this building also turns its alienated back to Sirkin and Talfiot streets. The old cinemas stand deserted and empty. The libraries are all in outdated buildings. The museums as above. The community centers as above.
When you already build a sports hall or a club, it's a cheap prefab construction or an ugly building with concrete blocks attached to it. The cheapest, the most temporary, the most alienated, the ugliest. There are no competitions for designing anything. The investment is always kept to a minimum. We hang on to the beauty of the Bahá'í gardens, the whole surrounding area is neglected. The axis of the colony has turned from the Champs Elysées into an axis of restaurants in the village that have taken over the sidewalks.
It is sad to live in a city where, for the last ten years, not a single significant public building has been built. While in Jerusalem the National Library was inaugurated and the Tower of David Museum was renovated to an international level, while in Tel Aviv more public buildings were added every year at a high level and now the Dance Center of Bat Sheva is being built, the Tel Aviv City Museum was opened, the Land of Israel Museum was rebuilt, 3 large community buildings were erected such as The pool in the Aliyah Market - Haifa is simply fading away. Fading away.
And all the real estate businessmen, the rising sectors, the green retirees who froze this city and drove away tens of thousands of young people will return in two weeks for another round of incubation in the council and urban stagnation. This time they will have an excuse to freeze further - because of the war...
The construction file was indeed opened in 1961, but the construction permit was issued on November 16.11.1964, 1964. It is therefore clear that it was inaugurated only after 8. It should be noted that this building permit was given for the construction of 5 floors and only XNUMX were built so that it is still possible to add. The building was declared a building for preservation in light of its construction in the Brutalist style.
The day will not be far and the building will be converted into a luxury residential building.
to Dan
Thank you for your response.. It is advisable to strive for a balance between functionality and aesthetics.
to Ruth Blumenfeld
thanks for the compliment. As for the dates - that's what Wikipedia says, but it also works out logically. The construction was finished around 64-65, the Israel Prize was given to Mansfield a year or two later. Shabbat Shalom!
to Rafi
Thank you very much, Rafi my friend, Shabbat Shalom!
That's how you should be a comfortable functionalist and not a stonemason for an architect
Does anyone want to rent offices in the Shin Bet building?
Thank you very much for the interesting article. My favorite section. The dates don't add up for me, maybe it's a mistake: Reverend Weinrobe separated from Reverend Mansfeld in 1959. Architect Mansfeld won the Israel Prize in 1966.
All the best to you my friend Dr. David Bar On. Shabbat peace and blessing to you