Tel Aviv District

Come and join us in our work to preserve the remains of the past in the Tel Aviv district.

The Tel Aviv district, with Tel Aviv at its centre, contains thousands of historic buildings and sites of local and national importance. Our activities in the district have been successful in saving many buildings, in advancing conservation plans for whole compounds (notably, Sharona, Jaffa Port, Mikveh Yisrael, the New Station Compound known as Hatachana, and the American Colony) and in saving historic sites and buildings, among them private residences, agricultural sites, public buildings and historic flora. We have also promoted dozens of conservation plans in response to development needs. 

Our strength lies in our work in the public arena and our active supporters; activities in the district are directed by the district director, with the assistance of the district chairman, architect Dan Eitan and a public committee of public figures active on our behalf (architects, historians, geographers, tour guides, surveyors, lawyers, planners etc.) with which activities in the district are approved and carried out. A great deal of information reaches us from the public, warning us of sites at risk or informing us of damage to protected sites. Together, and in collaboration with public figures, we are successful in our varied endeavours. 

What is the Tel Aviv District?

The Tel Aviv district encompasses an area of 171 square kilometres and includes 10 local planning zones belonging to the large cities of the metropolitan area (including Tel Aviv-Yafo, Ramat Gan, Givatayim, Holon, Herzliya, Kiryat Ono etc.). As a result, pressure on the real estate market is high and an acute need to develop extensive infrastructure systems exists, so that many historic sites and compounds face constant risk. However, a dramatic change has come about in the field, as a result of our intensive efforts in the district, and thanks too, to the establishment of the Tel Aviv municipality conservation team, and the heightened awareness and knowledge among decision makers in the local authorities and in the Ministry of the Interior District Planning Bureau (the professional advisory branch serving the Tel Aviv District committee for district development). Nowadays, the urban, economic, architectural and cultural importance of historic sites is recognised; Sderot Rothschild, Nahalat Binyamin, Jaffa Port, Sharona, Nevei Tzedek, Hatachana, the Clock Square in Jaffa all attest to this fact, as do hundreds of historic buildings that have been rehabilitated and preserved all over the district by private and public entities. The public can also enjoy dozens of historic museums that tell the story of the towns and villages and of the national cultural heritage. These include: Beit Ben Gurion, Heichal Ha’atzmaut, the Etzel Museum, the Lehi Museum, Herzlilienblum, Beit Bialik, Beit Rokeah, the Nahum Gutman Museum, Beit Krinitzi and Husmasa. 

In spite of our success, we have a long way to go: Tel Binyamin, the Rav Kook compound, Heichal Hatarbut, Ramat Marpeh and many other sites bear testimony to the fact that the work is not yet finished. 

What work do we do?