(haipo) - Architecture in Haifa - During the fifth aliyah, a number of prefabricated copper houses were erected in Haifa, which were imported from Germany. One of them is the house of Doctor of Law Tochler, located at 20 Tel Mana Street in Haifa.
the transfer agreement
In the 30s, the German authorities forbade the Jews to take money out of the country, but allowed them to take out various types of equipment. In 1933, a "transfer agreement" was signed that allowed Jews to transfer property bought in Germany to countries that were under the British mandate, among them, Israel.
Following this, Jewish citizens of Germany, who wished to immigrate to Israel, asked to take advantage of the "transfer agreement" and transfer property and equipment from Germany to Israel when they immigrated to Israel.
The copper houses
The copper houses were prefabricated houses created in Germany by the "German company for copper houses Ltd" which was founded on the remains of the company "Hirsch copper and brass factories" owned by Sigmund Hirsch (1882-1953).
The idea of building houses out of copper began to take shape already in the 20s, following an architectural competition for the design of modular houses held in Germany. The architect won the competition Walter Gropius. Later one of the founders of the famous "Bauhaus" school. Hirsch's company won the tender for the production of the parts from which these industrialized houses were assembled in a number of fixed models.
In the manner of the modernist architects of those days, these were responsible not only for the design of the outer shell of the houses but also for the design of the entire set of accessories and accompanying furniture. The external walls were made of copper panels and the insulation was achieved by adding aluminum and asbestos components. The roof was also made from the copper plates and the insulation was the same as the wall insulation.
The copper houses go up to Israel
A Jew named Rene Schwartz, the son-in-law of Sigmund Hirsch, bought the rights to manufacture the copper houses from Hirsch's company and began marketing the houses in Israel after "converting" the original models and giving them Israeli names. This is how the "Sharon" and "Haifa" house models were born. The houses were brought to Israel by ship, disassembled, and assembled here with concrete floors prepared in advance.
The imported kits included all the necessary fittings, including doors, windows, roller shutters, electrical connections, copper tiles and even central heating. It was also possible to add various extras such as internal doors, double windows, etc. for an additional fee. The prices of the models ranged from 6,500 to 19,500 marks.
According to the manufacturer's publications, it was possible to assemble a house in about a month, but in practice the construction took longer due to problems of matching the topography and the lack of a workforce at the required professional level. Looking back, the houses justified their advertising, they last and are used for housing even today, 90 years after their construction, despite the isolation problems discovered in their roofs as a result of the strong sun in the country.
The copper houses in Haifa
According to the research of Prof. Gilbert Herbert About 11 such copper houses were built in Haifa from the Polte for Architecture and Urban Construction at the Technion.
As of 2017, copper houses were found in Haifa at the following addresses:
- 9 Hahorsha St., Beit Grundman
- 5 Leonardo da Vinci St., Schoenfeld House
- 20 Tel Mana St., Dr. Tochler's house.
At the time of my visit to the above addresses and according to the external signs, the houses have undergone changes and adjustments, but it seems that they are all still in use today.
My thanks are hereby given to the reader "Ron - Haifa" who suggested the topic of the current article. We will be happy to receive suggestions from readers for our articles and will respond to them if we find suitable stories for this section.
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.
thanks. Very intriguing.
I wonder if it is now possible to dismantle the copper houses and return with them to Germany, because there does not seem to be a future for Jews of European origin in the Land of Israel
Thanks for the interesting article. I know one of these houses in Haifa, so I would like to understand: it says that "the insulation was achieved by adding aluminum and asbestos components". Is asbestos left in these buildings? If not, how did they manage to get rid of him?
Thank you for your response, I will try to find out about the asbestos matter and will update you if there is any information.
Thank you for your response, I will try to find out about the asbestos matter and will update you if there is any information.
Very interesting. Thank you very much
thank you for your response.
I was born on Tel Mana Street and still live there. The Copper House is right next to me, and it is unique and has always symbolized in my eyes the "yikes" point of the street. You can also find remnants of "Aslit" construction in red bricks.
thank you for your response.
Because it's not hot enough here anyway.
What a joy to see the announcement this morning. Just this week I ran about the copper houses. I visited the factory a few months ago in Oberswalde, and since I found out that my family is connected to the story in every way, the excitement was even greater. It has become increasingly important to preserve these buildings. I am very much looking for information about the copper house in Ramat Gan. To date we have not found a close-up photo of the house and I would be very happy for any information or contact.
Thank you very much for your response. You closed a circle for me. When I painted the Tochler House, I did not expect that I would "meet" you, related to the matter, both family-wise and due to your role in the conservation director. I also read your fascinating article, courtesy of my friend Esnat Rosen and my wisdom. Shabbat Shalom!
Hello Tamar, does the thermal insulation still include asbestos components? And if not, when and how was it unloaded? Thanks in advance.
Very interesting, I didn't know such a thing existed!
thanks
thank you for your response. Shabbat Shalom!
Nice article like the rest, you can go deeper.
Thank you for your response. My goal is to arouse curiosity not to write scientific articles. If you want to go deeper on the subject, here is a link:
https://irgun-jeckes.org/copper-and-determination/
Shabbat Shalom!
thanks, David,
Reminds me of my childhood in Ramat Gan (from 1942 to 1959), I was very familiar with the Copper House on Ma'ale HaScofus Street near Gan Shaul where I spent a lot of time in front of the monkey cage which was not far from my house. I also visited the house where my classmate lived, and inside it didn't seem to me (as a child) different from any other house, only the outer walls were covered with copper plates like the house in Tel Mana.
Thank you for your response, Yehuda, Shabbat Shalom!
My grandparents lived in a copper house on the sea road on the Carmel in the 40s.
Thank you for your response, Shabbat Shalom!
I am a resident of the area and I have a picture of the house at Horsha 9 in the finishing stages from June 1935. I knew a couple who lived there in the 70's until the early 2000's. There is good documentation of the place including photographs and the stories of the families who lived there. I would like to point out that the infrastructure works in Ramat Hashabi started about a decade before by the settlement's training. The lower part of Hatshebi Street was the last to be paved in 1936 and at that time there were already several dozen houses in the area that were concentrated in Horsha/Tashbee/Iris. That is, in the middle/upper half of the street. Originally, Ha-Horsha St. and Da Vinci St. were wider than Tashbi and there were many lovely paths that went down to Wadi Lotem, which finally disappeared with the construction boom of the 60s.
Thank you for your response, Shabbat Shalom!
Between the years 1920 and 1925, my grandfather managed the agricultural farm of the factory that was established to provide fresh vegetables and fruits to the workers of the polluting factory. The factory is called Messingwerk. The farm was used in those years as a training farm for Zionists on their way to Palestine. In 1925, Rupin came to visit the farm looking for a planting teacher for Hana Meisel's agricultural school for girls in Nahalel, following his visit my grandfather's family immigrated to Palestine. My grandfather was among the first landscape architects in Palestine and worked alongside Richard Kaufman, the architect of the working settlement. In this framework he developed the unique ornament of the kibbutz movement.
Apart from hundreds of projects across the length and breadth of the country, my grandfather planned the generous gardens in Zichron Ya'akov.
I would appreciate it if you mentioned your grandfather's name, in light of his great contribution.
Thanks for your comment which adds interesting information. Shabbat Shalom!
My grandfather's name was Shlomo Oren Weinberg
Great and important article!
Thank you so much for your comment, you made my day. Shabbat Shalom!