The Palace Hotel - Jerusalem
By Akil Ulukaya
The Palace Hotel was built in 1928-29 on the initiative of the Supreme Muslim Council, during the term of Raghib Nashashibi as the British-appointed mayor of Jerusalem. Designed by Turkish architect Mimar Kemalettin and completed by his student architect Mehmet Nihat.
Mimar Kemalettin
Hotel built by one Arab and two Jewish contractors employing some 500 workers, the four-story building was completed in the record time of eleven months (the contract stipulated a deadline of 13 months, with a 1000 pound fine for each day of delay).
A mixture of Greco-Roman, Renaissance, Gothic, Romanesque, neo-Moorish and Mamluk elements was combined in this eclectic structure, which became one of the most luxurious buildings in Jerusalem. Located a short walk from the Old City, at the bottom of Agron Street (previously Mamilla Road), the building was meant to be a showpiece of Arab architecture in Jerusalem, both in appearance and in the comfort it afforded. Of the 145 rooms, 45 had private bathrooms - unheard of in the country at the time - and there were three elevators and central heating - another rare luxury. The facade was adorned with engraved verses from the Koran and the entrance lobby, topped by an octagonal skylight, reached to the entire height of the building. Decorative columns with Doric, Ionic and Corinthian capitals grace the entrance, and the lighting fixtures throughout the building were done in the art deco style.
The financial load of the hotel's upkeep proved too much for the Supreme Muslim Council, and it leased the hotel to hotelier George Barsky, who, in turn, found that he could not compete with the nearby King David Hotel, once it opened in 1931. Shortly thereafter the Palace Hotel ended its career as a hotel; it was turned into administrative and military offices of the mandatory government. In 1937, the Royal Peel Commission, which investigated the ongoing Arab riots and recommended the partition of Palestine, convened in the hotel. Since the establishment of the State in 1948, the building has housed the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
BEAUTIFUL DETAILS OF THE PALACE HOTEL...
(BEFORE THE RENOVATION)
Jerusalem to get Waldorf-Astoria hotel in 2010
New hotel, managed by Hilton chain, to include 220 rooms and suites, swimming pool and spa
During the British Mandate the Palace served as military and administrative offices and with the establishment of The State of Israel the Ministry of Trade took up residence. In 1936 a radio studio was opened in the Palace building belonging to the National Radio Authority. In recent years the structure had been abandoned until it was purchased in 2005 by Paul Reichman.
Another Turkish touch.....
After 81 years , another Turkish architect Sinan Kafadar and Metex Design Group is
doing the interior design of The Palace - Jerusalem ( Waldorf Astoria)
Mimar Sinan Kafadar
MIMAR KEMALEDDIN - Wikipedia - Turkish
http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimar_Kemaleddin
http://www.metexdesign.com/
http://www.jerusalemquarterly.org/pdfs/18_haj%20Amin.pdf
Thanks to Yaniv for the beautiful pictures of The Palace Hotel :
click to see more pictures of Yaniv at Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ppudding/sets/72157601064862333/
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