The Story of Bauhaus: How International Style Defined Tel Aviv’s Iconic Buildings
A Story Unfolding Across Timelines.
Recap from previous episodes:
In this series of episodes, I’m sharing my dialogues with my father and inviting you to join our conversation. The series begins with a brief overview of what happened in the pre-state period until we reach the early days of Israel and the construction solutions adopted to house almost a million immigrants who arrived in Israel with nothing but the clothes they wore.
Current Time.
Liat: Dad, this International Style of architecture we talked about in the previous session is everywhere in Tel Aviv. Any way you look, there’s a building in this style.
Nissim: Indeed. Especially in the old neighborhoods of Tel Aviv and the areas you lived in. The first apartment you rented on Ben Yehuda Halevi St. was a classic International Style building with balconies facing the street.
Liat: I remember sitting on my balcony for hours, watching the street. I loved it. It was my quiet time. Back then, I used to smoke cigarettes, so having a coffee and a cigarette on the balcony made me feel like I was living in Europe. The feeling was so different from Kiryat Ata or Haifa. Old Tel Aviv neighborhoods have a European energy that’s unmatched anywhere else in Israel.
Nissim: Yes, they do. What architectural design can do to a neighborhood and a city is beyond what most people can envision. Architectural design works magic - it transforms land with nothing on it into physical structures. Architects can imagine and see what ordinary people cannot. Over time, architects were required to provide small models of the buildings before actually constructing them, and today, it’s standard to provide simulations for architectural planning for clients.
The International Style of architecture flourished in Tel Aviv, especially the Bauhaus style. Many buildings on Balfour, Yavne, Allenby, and Sheinkin Streets have been declared buildings for conservation. In fact, Tel Aviv has the largest number of International Style buildings in the world. My favorite is the Bauhaus style, and I love the buildings in the ‘White City’ area.
Are you curious to know how the Bauhaus style skyrocketed in Tel Aviv?
Liat: Yes! I loved those buildings. I always wished to live in one of the renovated ones on Balfour Street. Today, I’m a hypochondriac in recovery, but back then, it was important for me to live near the Maccabi Health Care location in Balfour St.
I also loved Melchett and Ahad Ha'am Streets, but when I came back to Tel Aviv after my bachelor's degree, I ended up living on Sheinkin Street, in the same building as the famous restaurant Orna and Ella. My karma connected me to food before I even knew it.
Nissim: You and food definitely have a special connection. However, Sheinkin Street also has buildings designed in the Bauhaus style. Let’s talk about this style.
The Bauhaus style was born from the need to rebuild Germany quickly after World War I. In 1919, the German government commissioned architect Walter Gropius to establish an institute to assist in the country's cultural and social rehabilitation. The institute, founded for this mission, was the "Bauhaus" school. It led to an approach that called for renouncing the decorated Prussian style and emphasizing the individual and their simple needs at the center of cultural ideology.
Accordingly, the Bauhaus's architectural and design style is clean and simple. It often uses straight lines and other elements that make its products easy and simple to manufacture and use. The Bauhaus is one of the most significant milestones in the history of modernism, where architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe coined the phrase "less is more."
The Rise of Bauhaus Influence in Israel
In the 1920s, Nazis restricted the Bauhaus school in Dessau after winning the city's local elections. When the Nazis came to power nationally, they closed the Bauhaus school permanently, forcing teachers to flee to the United States and also to the Land of Israel.
This political change impacted the lives of many Jewish German architects who immigrated to the Land of Israel, particularly Tel Aviv, instead of choosing a more comfortable life in the United States. These architects arrived primarily during the Fourth and Fifth Aliyot (immigration waves) and played a key role in shaping the city’s architecture, often working for the bourgeois Jewish population.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Tel Aviv grew rapidly. The socialist ethos that permeated Israeli society was expressed in the city’s architecture, mainly because of the cheap and simple construction approach. Tel Aviv blossomed with buildings in a style unique to this area.
Tel Aviv’s "White City," a popular term for several of its older neighborhoods, with over 4,000 International Style buildings, became the world’s largest concentration of Bauhaus architecture. In 2003, UNESCO recognized this area as a World Heritage Site. Ya'akov Ben-Sirah, Tel Aviv's city engineer during this period, is often credited with helping guide the city toward adopting the International Style, including many Bauhaus-style designs.
The International Style in Jerusalem and Other Cities
At the same time, Jerusalem saw the development of Garden Neighborhoods influenced by modernist urban planning principles. In central Jerusalem, particularly in the Rehavia neighborhood, many International Style buildings were constructed, along with public and apartment buildings designed during the British Mandate. A key difference in Jerusalem was the mandatory use of Jerusalem stone for cladding, a regulation that remains in place today. Thanks to this requirement, many buildings in Rehavia and central Jerusalem have been preserved in much better condition than similar structures in Tel Aviv.
The International Style also flourished in other Israeli cities during the 1930s. Notably, Haifa's Hadar Carmel neighborhood saw a significant number of International Style buildings. The style also influenced architectural designs in kibbutzim, particularly in communal buildings like dining halls.
Liat: I love the International Style and the Bauhaus-style designs, especially the renovated buildings. I wish I had an apartment in one of those buildings.
Nissim: You touched on the most important point. It’s wonderful to live in these buildings only if they’re renovated. The buildings that haven’t been restored are in really bad shape, and it’s hard to live in those conditions. Some of the buildings are crumbling, and the existing infrastructure doesn’t allow for essential equipment like an air conditioner or a washing machine for fear the building might collapse.
Liat: Tell me about it. Because of that, my landlord on Sheinkin Street wouldn’t let me have a washing machine. He sent an engineer to inspect the apartment, and they decided not to allow a washing machine because the floor couldn’t withstand the vibration load.
Nissim: I remember that. That’s when you started using the Sheinkin Street laundry service, which upset you because you really liked doing laundry.
Liat: I thought I was good at it, so I always preferred doing my laundry until that service proved me wrong. They showed me what knowing how to do laundry looks like. They were excellent, and I learned so much from them. That’s been their family business for two or three generations in the same place, and they excel at it. All the people in the neighborhood use their service, even if they have their own washing machines. After I moved from Sheinkin, I tried other laundry services, but none were even close to their level of professionalism.
Nissim: That’s why family businesses are the most successful and long-lasting, especially if the children continue them.
It’s late, so let's wrap up today's session. We’ve talked about the international style in architecture, particularly the Bauhaus style. In our next session, we’ll explore how it shaped housing in Israel and continues to influence architecture to this day.
Liat: Interesting. Now, you've piqued my curiosity.
Nissim: I know I have. But let’s take it one step at a time. See you soon.
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This is really interesting history, Liat! I’m curious though; how bad of shape was your apartment in that a washer was prohibited? They’re not that big of appliances.
Also, I’m glad I quit, but I really miss sitting outside in the morning enjoying my coffee and a cigarette.
Those look cool.
https://marlowe1.substack.com/p/the-stray-by-garry-kilworth-badass