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Shalom Meir Tower, Tel Aviv


In 1965, Shalom Meir Tower, was the first skyscraper in Tel Aviv and the tallest building in the Middle East.  It was built by the Meir brothers, hence the name. 

Sadly, in order to build the tower, the historic Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium was demolished.



    Inside, the first two floors of the Shalom Tower, offer a treasure trove of information, models, maps, photographs and documents dedicated to the historic, architectural and artistic development of Tel Aviv. 


Model of a home belonging to Debora and Menachem Gilutz, founding member and developer of Tel Aviv.  The home was built in 1910 on 24 Achad-Haam Street.  
   


A large, 80 square meters, mosaic by David Sharir.  It symbolizes Tel Aviv-Jaffa as a vibrant city constantly undergoing renovations and construction. 



This mosaic, by the artist Nahum Gutman, is comprised of over a million small stones and glass fragments, it tells the history of Tel Aviv.  Each color/section portrays a different period.
















This was the first street lamp in Tel Aviv.








Head up the escalator for more exhibits.







An exhibit dedicated to Akiva Aryeh Weiss and his family.  Weiss who helped to found and establish the city of Tel Aviv, once wrote: "And like the city of New York represents America's main entrance, so must we develop our city, to make it the Israeli New York".
 




 There is a separate section, which includes photographs of the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium that once stood in this place.


The Gymnasium was founded in 1905, before the creation of the city of Tel Aviv and the state of Israel.








 European influenced cafe life in mid 1920's Tel Aviv, at the time, Israel's cultural and economic center.  This exhibit shows the development of selected cafes from 1920's to the 1970's. 
   



 


 
 I highly recommend a visit to this fascinating and comprehensive exhibit.  I have visited Tel Aviv over a dozen times, but got to understand it so much better after a couple of hours spent learning its history through these exhibits.


Shalom Meir Tower
9 Achad Ha'am
Sunday - Thursday - 8am - 7pm
Friday - 8am - 2pm
Free entrance

Joanna




Joanna
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  1. DelilahFebruary 26, 2020 at 12:01 AM

    Nice blog. Tel Aviv hotels on the beach are best place to stay and spent great time in Israel. This blog post share helpful information. Thanks for sharing

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