Beit Aghion

Beit Aghion

Beit Aghion (Template:Lang-he), also known as Beit Rosh HaMemshala (Template:Lang-he, lit. House of the Prime Minister) is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Israel. It is located at 9 Smolenskin street, on the street corner of Balfour street in the upscale Jerusalem neighborhood of Rehavia, situated between the city center and Talbiya neighborhood.

History

The building was built for the Jewish-Greek merchant, Edward Aghion, who was an affluent resident of Alexandria, Egypt. It was designed by the Jewish-German architect, Ricard Kaufmann, and was built between 1936-1938.

Between 1939-1940, Peter II, King of Yugoslavia resided in the house. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War it served as a hospital for the Irgun fighters.

In 1952, the Israeli government purchased the house for the purpose of turning it to an official residence for the Foreign Minister. In 1974, the Israeli Government decided to transfer the official residence of the Prime Minister from Beit Julius Jacobs, which served as the official residence of the Israeli Prime Minister between 1950–1974, to Beit Aghion. During the 1990s, a wall was erected around the house in order to provide greater security and protection for the Israeli Prime Minister. A segment of Balfour Street was closed to traffic as well.

Architecture

The building is composed of several of square blocks connected to one another, and in the center of the building there is a stairway, decorated with a row of windows in the front. The front of the building also includes a section molded in a circular way, and in a boat-like style typical of the international style. The building is coated with Jerusalem stone. The building also consists of an inner courtyard (patio) - an element that differs from the common international style, which the building-style is made of, however, is commonly found in a Muslim-style buildings. The patio was most probably added originally due to the Aghion family's request.

Problematic location

Since the Prime Minister's official residence was moved to Beit Aghion, public transport in the area has become more and more crowded, and the need to arrange the security arrangements for the Israeli Prime Minister became more pressing. In addition, the many security officers of the Prime Minister caused a housing shortage in Beit Aghion, and the fact that Beit Aghion does not include conference halls, forces the Prime Minister to rent such places and secure them as well.

On 8 February 2009, the Israeli Government approved the Almog Project, within the government's complex, which was to unite the official residence of the Prime Minister with his office, in which the official residence of the Prime Minister was to be transferred from Beit Aghion. The cost of that planned project was around 650 million shekels, and thus was criticized by many who argued that there is no need to spend such amount due to the economic crisis that Israel is going through. On 5 April, the same year, the decision to move the official residence of the Prime Minister of Israel was canceled.

See also

• Prime Minister of Israel
• Office of the Prime Minister (Israel)
• Beit HaNassi
• Ben Gurion House
• Aghion