Anglo-Palestine Bank

Also known as the Anglo-Palestine Company Bank, this building was originally built at the end of the 19th century as one of the private manors lining the old city walls of Jaffa. The structure is an original stone house built with a central space layout.
In 1903, the building was converted into a bank established by the APC- Anglo-Palestine Company. This company, a subsidiary of the Jewish Colonial Trust was founded according to the vision of Theodor Herzl with the aim of establishing a legal institution for the Zionist Organization to help finance its operations in Palestine. The company was responsible for granting the necessary loans to the Achuzat Bayit Association, which made possible the development of the Jewish suburb, later to be renamed Tel Aviv.
With the country’s establishment, the bank was retained by “Leumi Le’Israel” company and is known till today as Bank Leumi.

Address: Yefet Street 18, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Constructed: 19th century
Renewed: 2019
Documented: 2013
Client: Galit Kristal
Photographer: Yossi Salis
Contractor: Kristal Enterprises and Construction Ltd.
Constructor: Schaffer & Ronen Engineering Ltd.

1903

Historical sign of the Anglo Palestine Bank

The two-story building forms part of a continuous commercial façade spanning the length of Yefet street. The commercial ground floor is built of a grid of stone cross vaults while the residential floor above is an exceptional example of a central space house. The building is characterized by a symmetrical main facade and a tiled roof, with a rich variety of architectural details including: a trio of arched windows emphasizing the center of the main facade, an array of stone corbels and marble balcony.The building had fallen into disrepair and the residential floor was left abandoned. The original multi-sloped tile roof had collapsed and was rebuilt in the late 1990s. Many of the original construction details were destroyed or dismantled over the years.

The conservation work

Conservation work included both the exterior and interior of the building and was completed in 2015. The building once again shows of its impressive features influenced by the style of the central space houses and Ottoman architecture. Special attention was paid to the preservation of exposed stone facades, restoration of the central marble lined balcony and marble flooring. Original masonry details including stone stairs and decorated stone corbels and pillars were painstakingly restored. Reconstruction of carpentry details included a triforium sequence of arched windows and an array of elaborately decorated frames.

The conservation work Triforium Cross Vaults Cornice

Triforium

The center of the façade is highlighted by a sequence of three arched windows displaying elaborate wooden frames and marble pillars. Triforium is an architectural term, the origin of which is unknown but may well be derived from the Latin tres, tri, “three”, and foris, “door” or entrance. The Greek equivalent is τρίθυρον, which originally referred to a building with three doors. The triforium sometimes served structural functions or used to emphasize the second floor of a building by its architectural design as an important feature.

Cross Vaults

The commercial ground floor is constructed of a series of stone cross vaults aligned in a grid supporting the residential floor above. The thick supporting walls are made of exposed stone and characterize the local construction method used in the first building stage.

Cornice

A cornice is a decorative trim located at the meeting point between walls and a roof. An exterior cornice is located where the wall meets the roof. A projecting cornice on a building keeps rainwater away from its walls and is generally made up of a fascia and soffit.
Fascia is an architectural term for a vertical element under a roof edge.
Soffit is derived from French and literally means “something fixed underneath”.

Anglo-Palestine Bank

Before

During

The conservation work

Triforium

Cross Vaults

Cornice

After