The station manager’s house – function, architecture, and preservation

The building in front of you was the station’s main building. The first floor housed the offices and baggage storeroom. The central area, used as a waiting room for passengers, had wooden benches and a ticket window.  The doors of the waiting room faced the tracks, so that passengers could see when the train arrived and departed – to make sure that they didn’t miss the train!

The station manager and his family lived on the second floor. This floor had three wings that included a living room and bedroom, a kitchen, and a large balcony, where a small room used as a bathroom and shower was later added. These additions were removed later when the station underwent conservation.

Walk through the building and then stop, look backwards and upwards at the station’s original sign under the shingled roof, which reads “Tel El-Shamam” in Arabic. In the photo on the screen you are holding, you will see the building before the start of the conservation and rehabitation work, which was done in several stages. First, the building was stabilized and secured: metal beams were placed between the two floors, the external walls were reinforced and a concrete floor replaced the original wood flooring, which had completely decayed. The construction additions built over the years, such as the bathroom on the balcony, were removed.

The finishing details, such as the windows, shutters, doors, and the wooden staircase connecting the two floors then underwent restoration. The balcony’s railing, which was almost completely destroyed, was restored using one column that had remained intact. A mold of this column was created, from which the new columns for the balcony were cast. 

Today, the building houses the site’s offices and hosts changing exhibitions. Its high quality is obvious.

On your way to the adjacent one-story building, notice the floor installation showing the Valley Train route. We’ll meet again at the entrance to the next building.