Generali Building
| Generali Building | |
|---|---|
| בניין ג'נרלי | |
 |
|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical, Modern |
| Location | 25 Jaffa Road, Jerusalem |
| Country | Israel |
| Coordinates | 31°46′49.9″N 35°13′18.3″E / 31.780528°N 35.221750°E |
| Current tenants |
Jerusalem District Administration Israel Ministry of Interior |
| Construction started | 1934 |
| Completed | 1935 |
| Owner | Assicurazioni Generali |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 to 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Marcello Piacentini |
| Main contractor | De Farro Company |
The Generali Building (Hebrew: בניין ג'נרלי, Binyan Generali) is a landmark office and commercial building on Jaffa Road in western Jerusalem, Israel. Designed by Marcello Piacentini, chief architect of the Italian Fascist regime, it served as the Jerusalem branch of the Assicurazioni Generali insurance company from 1935 to 1946. In 1946 the British Mandatory government nationalized the building and enclosed it and several other structures at the eastern end of Jaffa Road in a fortified security zone. With the end of the Mandatory government in 1948, the building was recovered by the Irgun. Since the establishment of the state, the Generali Building has housed the offices of the Jerusalem District Administration and other government agencies, and street-level stores. The building's neoclassical and modern architecture, and large, rooftop sculpture of a winged lion have made it a prominent landmark in downtown Jerusalem.
The Generali Building is located in Bar Kochba Square at the intersection of Jaffa Road and Queen Shlomzion Street.
Situated at the intersection of Jaffa Road and Queen Shlomzion Street, the sides of the triangular-shaped Generali Building splay out in a V-shape, with the corner facing the intersection designed like the prow of a ship. The first story is faced with roughly-dressed stone and has arched windows and doorways. The upper stories, in contrast, are faced with finely-dressed stone and have windows and balconies opening at right angles, along with horizontal stone protrusions demarcating each story. Due to the topography of the site, the building has five stories at its western end and a wing of six stories at its eastern end.
Atop the roof is a large stone sculpture of a winged lion leaning on an open book. While many observers mistakenly attribute this symbol to the Lion of Judah, emblem of the city of Jerusalem, it is in fact the Lion of Saint Mark, patron saint of Venice, and the symbol of the Generali insurance company. This symbol has appeared on all of the company's branches worldwide since 1848. The Latin words engraved on the book are Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus (Peace unto you, Mark, my Evangelist). On the base of the sculpture are engraved the Roman numerals MDCCCXXXI, or 1831, the year that Assicurazioni Generali was founded. The sculpture was constructed in six sections and produced by Jerusalem artist David Ozhernesky together with two Italian assistants. The name of the insurance company appears in relief under the roof line.
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Wikipedia