International Convention Center (Jerusalem)

International Convention Center

ICC in January 2006
Location	Givat Ram, Jerusalem, Israel
Owner	Jewish Agency for Israel
Capacity	10,000
Construction
Built	1950—63
Opened	1956
Architect	Zeev Rechter
Tenants
Eurovision Song Contest 1979 Eurovision Song Contest 1999
Website
ICC.co.il

Coordinates: 31°47′10″N 35°12′10″E / 31.7862°N 35.2027°E / 31.7862; 35.2027

The International Convention Center (Hebrew: מרכז הקונגרסים הבינלאומי‎‎, Merkaz HaKongresim HaBeinLeumi), commonly known as Binyenei HaUma (Hebrew: בנייני האומה‎‎, lit. Buildings of the nation), is a concert hall and convention center in Giv'at Ram in Jerusalem, Israel. It is the largest convention center in the Middle East.

Binyenei Ha'Uma was first envisioned by Alexander Ezer (who later became its managing director) and planned by architect Zeev Rechter who won the design competition in 1949. The complex was under construction from 1950 to 1963, though it began operations in 1956 with a meeting of the World Zionist Organization. The period of economic difficulty and austerity in the first decade of Israeli independence meant frequent disruption in construction due to lack of funds, and the project was sometimes disparagingly known as Chirbet HaUma, the National Ruin. Rechter's design was a solid structure faced in Jerusalem stone. Instead of a monumental relief by artists Joseph Zaritsky and Yitzhak Danziger as originally planned, the facade was covered with azure-coloured glass panels.