# Arts_Cultural

COMMENTS:
3rd oldest museum in the Near East—contains a large collection of Middle Eastern artifacts. Opening hours: Mon-Friday 9am – 5pm


COMMENTS:
10:00 am - 4:00 pm, (Tuesday - Saturday)

REFERENCE:
http://www.aub.edu.lb/art_galleries/Pages/index.aspx - Telephone: 01-350000 Ext: 4345


COMMENTS:
Bar and garden (both used also for events) on the ground floor. Art gallery, residential rooms and headquarters of Helem on the second floor. Greenline on the third floor.


COMMENTS:
A two-level gallery devoted to contemporary art, run by regional art expert Saleh Barakat - Opening hours Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 10am-1pm

REFERENCE:
Mobile 03 634244 - Telephone 01 345213 - http://www.agialart.com/


COMMENTS:
Opening hours Tues-Fri 11am-7pm; Sat 11am-5pm


COMMENTS:
Contemporary photography and installations, usually themed at least indirectly around Beirut or Lebanon. Opening hours Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-5pm (in summer by appointment only)

REFERENCE:
Mobile 70 910523 - Telephone 01 738706 - http://www.galerietanit.com/


COMMENTS:
First opened in 1990, the back room cluttered with reproductions of old postcards from around the Middle East, as well as historical letters and other relics. Displays the artwork of young and/or newly discovered Arab artists. Two exhibitions are held ea

REFERENCE:
Mobile 03 656521 - Telephone 01 745571 - http://www.zamaangallery.com/


COMMENTS:
Contains a movie theatre, along with various offices within the center.


COMMENTS:
A small theatre that hosts cutting-edge productions and performances from around Lebanon and abroad in Arabic, English and French.


COMMENTS:
Hosts theatre festivals, can be rented out to playwrights. Opening hours Mon-Sat 11am-7pm; Sun for special events

REFERENCE:
Telephone 01 744033 - http://www.babeltheatre.com/


ORGANIZATI:
Saroulla (Madina) Theatre - Al Madina Theatre

COMMENTS:
Theatre seats up to 450 people and hosts all kinds of events, from plays and dance performances, to concerts and workshops. Opening hours Daily 10am-6pm

REFERENCE:
http://www.almadinatheatre.com/ - Telephone 01 753010, 01 753011


COMMENTS:
Hamra’s latest venue- concert hall with industrial look, grey tones and exposed pipes.

REFERENCE:
http://drmlebanon.com/ - Mobile 70 030032 - Telephone 01 752202


COMMENTS:
Part of the Fine Arts building of the Lebanese American University.  The theatre presents various types of performances from outside institutions as well as those of the university.

REFERENCE:
http://lautheatre.com - Mobile 03 791314 ext. 1172 - Telephone 01 786464


COMMENTS:
Arts and crafts courses for children and adults. Cafe? with couches, art books and magazines. Opening hours Mon-Sat 9am-6pm; open until 8.30pm depending on class schedules (July closed on Sat)

REFERENCE:
http://www.theartworkshop.net/contact/ - Mobile 03 754867 - Telephone 01 749646


COMMENTS:
Dance lessons (everything from contemporary to oriental to ballet) - Opening hours Mon-Fri 10am-8pm

REFERENCE:
http://www.maqamat.org/ - Telephone 01 343834


COMMENTS:
jewellery workshop and open space for people to come and experiment with their own art

REFERENCE:
tania@lateliernawbar.com - Telephone 01 744 828 or 71 744 828


# Building_Architectural

COMMENTS:
One of the first curtain walls in Lebanon. As the main façade faces north, there is no direct sunlight – therefore the façade is mostly made of glass.


ARCHITECT:
Karol Schayer, Wassim Adib, Bahije Makdessi

COMMENTS:
Also, one of the first curtain walls in Lebanon after intensive studies.


ARCHITECT:
Karol Schayer, Wassek Adib, Bahij Makdissi

COMMENTS:
This building makes use of the full potential of concrete with a wing-life rooftop


COMMENTS:
Modernity initiates a crossing by introducing references from the past. Repetitive element of the three lancet arches and trellises with oriental arabesques


ARCHITECT:
Edward Stone, Ferdinand Dagher, Rodolphe Elias

COMMENTS:
Iconic hotel project – elegant sustained modernity; geometric abstrction of arabesques and balustrades. New wing with 21 stories is added in 1968


COMMENTS:
Architect experiments with polychromes – a way to show the support of Lebanon for a positive modernity, representative of economic growth. Architect experimented with use of ‘pate-de-verre’ of various colours and scale.


COMMENTS:
The Excelsior is characterized by the particular use of rhythm and repetition in its design. The hotel pool area is remarkable for its symbolic blend of nature with the splendor of modernist architecture. The hotel building was occupied by squatters and

REFERENCE:
Yacoub, 82 - Vacant Buildings in the Hotel District (p. 1)


ARCHITECT:
Antoine Tabet + Auguste Perret’s practise (Andre Lotte, Georges Bordes, Jacques Poirrier)

COMMENTS:
This building marks the first rational modernity work in Lebanon. (Antoine Tabet wins the Lenin Peace Prize in 1932). The St. George Hotel was severally damaged during the civil war. Renovations began in 1996 following the withdrawal of the Syrian soldie

REFERENCE:
Yacoub, 43, 79 - Vacant Building of the Hotel District (p.17)


BUILDING:
Central Bank Headquarters (Banque de Liban)

COMMENTS:
This structure reflects flourishing local economic development (prototypes reproducible at different scales and  of rigorous geometry). 11 modern stories, a 1000 sq. meters vaults (capable of withstanding a nuclear explosion or an earthquake). Project wa


ARCHITECT:
Dar al Handasah Consulting & Engineers (Robert Wakim)

COMMENTS:
Part of the courtyard projects found in Hamra. The building has 2 side alleys that lead to a central courtyard open to the sky. Claustra made of metal is used over the main façade to break the direct sun exposure as it faces south. A sculpture by Zaven H


ARCHITECT:
Pierre Neema, Jacques Aractingi, Joseph Nassar, Jean-Noel Conan

COMMENTS:
Award winning construction – it represents the paroxysm of transparency, through total communication between the sea and the corniche – Its rehabilitation after 25 years of closing lead to a realization of an oriental envelope, very distant from the prev


BUILDING:
Beaux-Arts Building - Gulbenkian theatre


COMMENTS:
Construction in the line of the purest tradition of the American metropolises buildings. Forecourt and curtain façade in tinted glass


COMMENTS:
Free shape principles – the building is very different from its terrain, it is characterized by a zigzag façade (where all elements are closely linked).


BUILDING:
Liberty Tower Building, Moscow Narodnyi Bank headquarters

COMMENTS:
Simple volumes, rounded angles, the architectural line represents radical modernity – (Economic boom shown by the structure)


COMMENTS:
Playful main façade- unpractical to clean, slightly opposite to the modernism’s definitive features. Claustra (repetitive usage of certain elements) creates semi-transparent veil on certain parts of the building façade.


COMMENTS:
Farid Trad was actually a civil engineer. The building is characterized by its simple continuous lines.


COMMENTS:
Commercial and residential building. Celebrities and artists resided in the building. The building belonged to a wealthy Lebanese Armenian named Yacoub Yacoubian. 10-story, double-bloc building with 140 flats. Shaped like a U-turn in the style of Le Corb


COMMENTS:
Three buildings were constructed on this lot in 1939. The YMCA rented the second and third in 1953 (and moved out in 1967). The second building was erected over one of the most beautiful gardens of Ain Mreisseh. In 1957, the hall of the ground floor was

REFERENCE:
Vacant Buildings in the Hotel District (p. 11)


ARCHITECT:
Albert Manasseh (belongs to a generation of builders that were the founders of the Lebanese modernist architecture)

COMMENTS:
Two adjacent buildings, smaller building (4 floors) and a larger (6 floors). The small is characterized by its exposed staircase and expressive balconies. The architect also designed the ‘Casino du Liban’ in 1959. He also supervised the road infrastructu

REFERENCE:
Vacant Buildings in the Hotel District (p. 8)


COMMENTS:
Period characterized by prosperity and pragmatism of real estate speculations. Concrete netting- large scale local construction. The building was only completed months before the civil war. It was operated by the Holiday Inn corporation before it became

REFERENCE:
Yacoub, 100 - Vancant Buildings in the Hotel District (p.18)


COMMENTS:
This building is mostly known for its façade, a wide curve over the street. Modernity is part of the architectural landscape.


ARCHITECT:
Michel Ecochard and Claude Lecoeur Kaiserwzerth

COMMENTS:
Old German Orphanage by ‘Prussian Deaconesses Order’ – Later, temporarily used as office of National Museum – Inaugurated by General Gourant


COMMENTS:
“The building represents the apotheosis of a brutalism oriented towards an expressionist volumetric and plastic art”. This building is representative of the Brutalist movement mostly for its exposed concrete façade and fortress-like architecture. The exh


ARCHITECT:
Karol Schayer, Fritz Gotthelf, Bahije Makdissi

COMMENTS:
European Avant-garde and Bauhaus style -It is now the Hariri School of Nursing- AUB


ARCHITECT:
Karol Schayer, Bahije Makdisi, Wassek Adib

COMMENTS:
This building has significantly changed over the years. It was initially designed with the pedestrian in mind. A small transition zone between the top and ground floor is created—the architects designed a horizontal plane that cuts the columns coming fro


BUILDING:
American Community School in Beirut Gymnasium

COMMENTS:
The structure is made from varying section porticos, with an elegant curved ceiling.


# Landmarks

COMMENTS:
Historical landmark part of Hamra’s charm. A sculpture by Zaven Hadidian made out of a single sheet of metal is placed in a small water basin (in the entrance lobby).


COMMENTS:
Probably one of the only monuments commemorating Gamal Abdul Nasser (2nd president of Egypt). He was greatly mourned by the Lebanese people after his death.


COMMENTS:
Created in commemoration of the assassination of the Lebanese PM (February 2005)


COMMENTS:
The lighthouse was operated in 1957. This lighthouse is a family legacy passed on from generation to generation. It is not lit anymore as many buildings surround it today. It has been replaced by a newer lighthouse built closer to the water.


COMMENTS:
Remains of this tower exist today. Placed across the College Protestant, it was part of a military camp that existed in the area.


COMMENTS:
This new lighthouse has replaced the Old Manara. It is placed closer to the water.


LANDMARK:
Farah Building Ceramic Mural: ‘Une Fresque Mural faconnee au tour”  by Dorothy Kazemi

COMMENTS:
At the back of this commercial center, there is a ceramic mural made of 330 tiles. This mural suggests the idea of a garden where the earth is as colorful as its flora. The various use of tiles (matt/crude clay, as well as glazed) recounts the artist’s l

REFERENCE:
‘The Spirit of the Pot’ by Dorothy Salhab Kazemi


COMMENTS:
This tree symbolizes an important land marking point of the time. It almost transcends from the side-walk to the street. It has given its name to its surrounding area.


COMMENTS:
Large Ferris Wheel is an important landmark and meeting point of the region.


COMMENTS:
Another historical café which still exists today.


COMMENTS:
Old military beach acts as a historic landmark to the waterfront of this neighborhood


COMMENTS:
The Nejmeh Stadium includes a large astro-turf football field. It houses many football matches of all ages.


COMMENTS:
Historical landmark of the neighborhood and Lebanon. These natural rocks emerge out of the water as a beautiful site and meeting point.


COMMENTS:
This club includes swimming pools, restaurants, and access to the sea. This is an important landmark to people of the neighborhood—a social and cultural meeting point.


COMMENTS:
Part of Hamra’s bustling life, this cinema was one of the many that existed in the region.


COMMENTS:
This theatre is not operating anymore, however a historical landmark to the neighborhood.


COMMENTS:
This old theatre is no longer running, although it still exists in an abandoned state. It was known for its posh and fancy theatre.


COMMENTS:
Known as a neighborhood landmark. It still exists and is running today.


COMMENTS:
Known as a neighborhood landmark. It still exists and is running today as a theatre


COMMENTS:
Neighborhood landmark- now a functioning theatre


COMMENTS:
Old renown café in central and active Hamra distrit (it is now a Costa Café).


COMMENTS:
The building stretches along the Minet Al Hosn waterfront. In the 1930s it operated as a small café with a leisure dock stood on the rocky sea shore. It was later developed by George and Michel Ajram—an Olympic size pool along with a restaurant were adde


COMMENTS:
Old renown café in central and active Hamra district (now a clothing store).


COMMENTS:
Old renown café in central and active Hamra district (now crepaway).


COMMENTS:
Old renown café and restaurant. It existed across the AUB main gate and welcome people of all ages (including students, doctors, tourists,…) Political discussions and debates would constantly take place in this famous meeting point (now McDonalds).


COMMENTS:
Representative of the various ruins within Lebanon. These are of Roman history marking a bustling intersection point within the city.


COMMENTS:
No longer operating, this theatre was part of Hamra’s animated nightlife.


# Roads_Centerline

ROADS_NAME:
National Unit Street(Abdallah Al Machnouk)


ROADS_NAME:
Abdel Mounem Riad (Abdel Rahman Itani) Street


ROADS_NAME:
Sakiet Al Jenzir (Sheik Mohammad Toufic Khaled) Street


# schools

COMMENTS:
The American Community School has been open since 1905. It used to have a large community of American students before the war.


COMMENTS:
This building stands out with its architecture. It was designed by Michel Ecochard.


NAME:
Al Iman Al Namouthagiya Secondary School


