Migdal Shalom Tower Tel Aviv

Israel and You December 2, 2015 History, Museums, People

Migdal Shalom Tower

Migdal Shalom was Israel’s first 33 story skyscraper,completed in 1965. The tower stands on the site of the Herzliya Hebrew High School. Despite the school’s architectural and historical significance, the structure was demolished in order to build the tower in 1962. Three stories were occupied until 1989 by the the first department store in Israel – Kol Bo Shalom. The sky scraper is just of Rothschild Boulevard, which begins at the neighborhood of Neve Tzedek and runs to the Habima Theatre in the centre of Tel Aviv. Rothschild Boulevard is a huge tourist attraction, both due to historical significance and the fascinating architecture of its buildings.

Even less attractive high rise office buildings in Tel Aviv can house wonderful surprises. For example take Shalom Meir Tower or Migdal Shalom as it is usually called. Unexpected galleries are found on the ground and first floors. Don’t miss them, especially if you are interested in the history of Tel Aviv.

Permanent Exhibitions

Model of Ahuzat Bayit Tel Aviv – First home in Tel Aviv

Nahum Gutman’s Mosaic Wall

The Mosaic in the western wing of the Shalom Tower tells us of the beginning of the city. The mosaic is divided in four different colors each representing a period in the life of the city.

The Green Wall– Old Jaffa, terrace housing, trains, fishing boats and camels.
The Yellow Wall – As the dominant color, this suggests the yellow of the sand dunes that the city was built upon.
The Red Wall– In center spot the first lamppost surrounded by astonishing people
The Fourth Period – Tel Aviv in the 1930’s & 1940’s. Tel Aviv in color is embraced by a mother to celebrate its city status.

Nahum Gutman was one of Israel’s most well known artists. His body of work was broad. He worked in a variety of media including oils, watercolors, gouache, sculpture, mosaics and engravings. The Nachum Gutman Museum is located at 21 Rokach Street, Neve Zedek, Tel Aviv Telephone: 03-516-1970, 03-510-8554. Visiting Hours: Sunday-Wednesday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Thursday – 10:00 Am 7:00 PM Friday – 10:00 Am – 2:00 PM Saturday – 10:00 AM – 5 PM.

David Sharir’s Mosaic Wall

David Sharir’s impressive mosaic, covers about 80 square meters of wall space and comprises of approximately one million tiny glass tiles. These tiles known a Tessere were produced and imbedded in Italy, transported to Israel and design assembled by an Israeli-Italian team in the Shalom Mayer Tower. The motif of scaffolding is repeated throughout the wave, symbolizing Tel Aviv-Jaffa as a vibrant city that is constantly undergoing construction. On the right side the mosaic he exposes Jaffa, old and new. In the center the Ahuzat Bayit neighborhood and to the left the modern vibrant Tel Aviv.

David Sharir was born in 1938 in Israel. He began his study of art in Tel Aviv and continued in Florence and Rome where he studied architecture and theater design. The brightly colored costumes and intricate stage designs which he created for these productions have profoundly influenced his art.

Additional Exhibitions

A.Soskin, Tel Aviv Photographer: Avraham Soskin was the quintessential “Tel Aviv photographer” in the first decades following the city’s establishment. His photograph of the historic lottery of housing parcels that took place on April 11, 1909, on the Jaffa sand dunes is the most frequently reproduced and widely disseminated image of early Tel Aviv.

S.Korbman, A different T.A Photographer: He was an amateur photographer, and left behind an immense collection of photographs that were discovered after his death. His unique photos captured the routine of daily life in all corners of the city.
Architect I. M. Pei: Moshe Mayer commissioned Pei to plan the Nordiya Compound and Kikar Hamedina. The projects were postponed, apparently before their time.
Akiva Aryeh Weiss: Weiss organized the legendary conch shell lottery of Tel Aviv and designed and constructed of some of Tel Aviv’s most beautiful houses (some have been declared heritage sites).
Living on the Dunes – The White City: Tel Aviv’s White City has been declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by Unesco, and includes the world’s largest concentration of Bauhaus (International) style buildings.
Tel Aviv’s Cafes: In the mid-1920’s, Tel Aviv became Israel’s cultural and economic center.

A City Adorned in Tiles: In the 1920’s, decorative ceramic tiles from the Bezalel workshop began appearing in private homes and public buildings around Tel Aviv.