Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard: From Seashells to Skyscrapers
The Seashell Lottery on the Area that Would Later Become Rothschild Boulevard (Credit: Wikipedia Commons)
On April 11, 1909, on a sand dune slightly north-east of old-Jaffa, 66 families gathered together for a land lottery. A jeweler and a watchmaker named Akiva Arieh Weiss, collected 66 white seashells and 66 grey seashells. Weiss wrote the names of each of the families on the white seashells and plot numbers for land that each family would be assigned on the grey seashells. The area where the lottery was held would eventually become Rothschild Boulevard, and with this lottery, Ahuzat Bayit, later to be called Tel-Aviv, was born.
Looking at the picture of the lottery above, one notices a solitary man who was standing a considerable distance away from the main group. According to Tel-Aviv legend, this man yelled at the founders and said, “Are you mad! There’s no water here.”
The plot of land which later became 3 Rothschild was bought by Shmuel Tager who had moved to Jaffa after his marriage in 1890. Tager was an importer of European furniture which he sold in his Jaffa store, and he built the first home in Tel-Aviv with a second floor. A religious man, Tager was instrumental in the founding of many Synagogues including Beit Knesset Ohel Moed on 5 Shadal Street. In 1931, Tager sold his home at 3 Rothschild to a German bank, and shortly thereafter in 1935, Bank Elran purchased the property.
Next to Tager’s home at 1 Rothschild, a small bus station was constructed and it functioned as a Central Bus Station until 1947.
As time progressed the area in the Southern part of Rothschild Boulevard became somewhat neglected. In 2002 when 1 Rothschild was purchased to be developed as a 31-floor luxury residential property, people mocked the developers and said, “idiots, who would want to live on Rothschild Boulevard?”
Needless to say, the “nay-sayers” were wrong once again, as today the property at 1 Rothschild is one of the most valuable properties in all of Israel. According to records from the Israel Ministry of Taxation, in 2015, a 7-room 486 square meter apartment on the 11th floor was purchased for 42M NIS, with a PSQM of approximately 86K NIS.
In the 1990s, the old Tager-Property at 3 Rothschild was developed into a 27-floor commercial office complex in two stages. The construction of the second stage concluded in 2011 and monthly rents have recently averaged 117 NIS PSQM.
The seashell marked lot 43 was picked on behalf of the first Mayor of Tel-Aviv Meir Dizengoff, and he built his home on what would eventually be 16 Rothschild. After the death of his wife in 1931 Dizengoff donated his property to house the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art.
In an incredible twist of fate, 16 Rothschild was chosen to be the venue where David Ben-Gurion bravely declared independence for the State of Israel. There were again many “nay-sayers” who pressured Ben-Gurion not to declare independence for fear that Israel would not be able to defend itself against numerous Arab armies. United States Secretary of State, General George Marshall even sent Ben-Gurion an ultimatum demanding the postponement of the declaration and acceptance of a U.N. Trusteeship.
Even though Ben-Gurion refused to yield to the applied pressure, the choice of Dizengoff’s former home reflected the danger that was associated with declaring independence. 16 Rothschild was selected, as “the walls were thick, the windows high and the main hall was on the bottom floor”, and as such, 16 Rothschild offered greater protection against a potential bombing attack.
“Even though Ben-Gurion refused to yield to the
applied pressure, the choice of Dizengoff’s
former home reflected the danger that was
associated with declaring independence.”
Presently, 16 Rothschild is under extensive renovation and is scheduled to reopen as Independence Hall in 2023. For now (once the restrictions of Covid-19 pass) one can see a statue of Mayor Dizengoff riding on his horse, in the middle plaza area opposite 16 Rothschild.
Facebook (Israel) maintains its Israeli headquarters at 22 Rothschild Boulevard outside the confines of the initial Achuzat Bayit Settlement. 22 Rothschild was previously known as Beit Zim, as it served as the Tel-Aviv headquarters for the Zim shipping company. A 1966 fire destroyed Beit Zim and for many years the land remained undeveloped and it was derisively nicknamed HaBor Shel Zim, or Zim’s Hole. In addition to Facebook, other companies that maintain a presence in 22 Rothschild include Autodesk and Regus while, the boutique Hotel Rothschild 22, operates on the lower floors of the building.
One of South Rothschild Boulevards’s most noteworthy early homes is located on 29 Rothschild Boulevard. Beit Lederberg was built in 1925 by importer Isaac Ledeberg and he commissioned a series of ceramic plaques to be inlaid into the building’s outside walls. On one of the plaques is a Hebrew quote from Jeremiah 31:4 which translates to “I will build, and you shall be built”. The words from the verse capture the pioneering spirit that refused to listen to the “nay-sayers” and helped facilitate the growth from 132 seashells, to a modern city with skyscrapers and a very unique Rothschild Boulevard.
Commemorative Stamp issued to celebrate
the 100th anniversary of the seashell lottery.
The contents of this post are designed to provide the reader with general information and not to serve as professional advice. Readers are advised to obtain advice from qualified professionals prior to entering into any transaction.