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Architecture in peril
They often have three arches, wooden shutters, red tiled roofs and stone walls. They also have balconies and verandas, iron balustrades. They are sometimes well over a hundred years old, remains of a civilization in peril, sacrificed by wars but above all by the greed and carelessness of the Lebanese authorities.
While they used to give Beirut a special architectural character, setting it apart from other capitals in the Middle East, our old houses and their little Italo-oriental feel were already rare. Many were swept away by the modernist rage and especially the lack of town planning and the endemic corruption of the regulator. After the end of the war, the Beirut town hall issued demolition permits carelessly, replacing our little gems, too small and too expensive to restore, by hideous residential skyscrapers. Take towers from Dubai and throw them in Neapolitan alleys, cement crowding out jasmine, aluminum and glass replacing stones and tile, you imagine the aesthetic disaster.
On each of my visits to Beirut, I used to mock what I called "architectural terrorism" disfiguring our old neighborhoods. At least a few good souls had managed to save some of the houses, often turning them into restaurants, sports clubs or bars. Not ideal but better than cement. Others have taken to building new floors above their old buildings turning them into hybrid creatures but keeping at least one or two facades with a semblance of charm. How to throw stones at these old Beirut landlords whose rents have never been regularized and who do not receive any assistance from their shady town hall?
After the explosion of August 4th precisely hit the few hundred old houses and old buildings still standing in the neighborhoods adjacent to the port. At a time when glass and window repairs cost thousands of dollars in a city stripped of its bank accounts, our architectural heritage is truly on the verge of extinction, a decisive disappearance this time. And don't let us hear about that damned phoenix rising from the ashes! In a century, Beirut will have grown from a small town of beautiful stones, gardens and red tiles to a forest of hideous concrete. Congratulations to our municipality for this achievement worthy of a book of records. How to make a city ugly as quickly as possible, well done ... Fortunately, civil society and UNESCO are mobilizing to try to protect our neighborhoods. Let us wish them success and let us be their ambassadors.
With the money raised by this initiative, we will help the occupants of these houses to bear the cost of the repairs in order to encourage them to stay there and thus preserve the architectural heritage of Beirut.
They often have three arches, wooden shutters, red tiled roofs and stone walls. They also have balconies and verandas, iron balustrades. They are sometimes well over a hundred years old, remains of a civilization in peril, sacrificed by wars but above all by the greed and carelessness of the Lebanese authorities.
While they used to give Beirut a special architectural character, setting it apart from other capitals in the Middle East, our old houses and their little Italo-oriental feel were already rare. Many were swept away by the modernist rage and especially the lack of town planning and the endemic corruption of the regulator. After the end of the war, the Beirut town hall issued demolition permits carelessly, replacing our little gems, too small and too expensive to restore, by hideous residential skyscrapers. Take towers from Dubai and throw them in Neapolitan alleys, cement crowding out jasmine, aluminum and glass replacing stones and tile, you imagine the aesthetic disaster.
On each of my visits to Beirut, I used to mock what I called "architectural terrorism" disfiguring our old neighborhoods. At least a few good souls had managed to save some of the houses, often turning them into restaurants, sports clubs or bars. Not ideal but better than cement. Others have taken to building new floors above their old buildings turning them into hybrid creatures but keeping at least one or two facades with a semblance of charm. How to throw stones at these old Beirut landlords whose rents have never been regularized and who do not receive any assistance from their shady town hall?
After the explosion of August 4th precisely hit the few hundred old houses and old buildings still standing in the neighborhoods adjacent to the port. At a time when glass and window repairs cost thousands of dollars in a city stripped of its bank accounts, our architectural heritage is truly on the verge of extinction, a decisive disappearance this time. And don't let us hear about that damned phoenix rising from the ashes! In a century, Beirut will have grown from a small town of beautiful stones, gardens and red tiles to a forest of hideous concrete. Congratulations to our municipality for this achievement worthy of a book of records. How to make a city ugly as quickly as possible, well done ... Fortunately, civil society and UNESCO are mobilizing to try to protect our neighborhoods. Let us wish them success and let us be their ambassadors.
With the money raised by this initiative, we will help the occupants of these houses to bear the cost of the repairs in order to encourage them to stay there and thus preserve the architectural heritage of Beirut.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-beirut-old-houses
Alors qu’elles faisaient de Beyrouth une ville au patrimoine architectural intéressant et la distinguaient des autres capitales du moyen orient, nos vieilles maisons et leur petit air italo-oriental se faisaient déjà bien rares. Beaucoup furent emportées par la rage moderniste et surtout l’absence d’urbanisme et la corruption endémique du régulateur. Après la fin de la guerre, la mairie de Beyrouth a délivré des permis de démolir à tour de bras, laissant remplacer nos petits bijoux trop petits et trop chers à restorer en hideux gratte-ciel résidentiels. Prenez des tours de Dubai et faites les atterrir dans des ruelles napolitaines, le ciment évinçant le jasmin, l’aluminium et le verre remplaçant les pierres et la tuile, vous imaginez le désastre esthétique.
A chacune de mes visites à Beyrouth, j’ironisais tristement sur ce que j’appelais des « attentats architecturaux » défigurant nos vieux quartiers. Au moins quelques bonnes âmes avaient réussi à sauvegarder certains de ces vestiges en les transformant souvent en restaurants, clubs de sports ou bars innombrables. Pas idéal mais mieux que le béton. D’autres ont entrepris de construire des étages au dessus de leurs vieux immeubles tournés en créatures hybrides mais gardant au moins une ou deux façades avec un semblant de charme. Comment jeter la pierre à ces vieux propriétaires beyrouthins dont les loyers n’ont jamais été régularisés et qui ne reçoivent aucune assistance de leur mairie véreuse?
Après l’explosion du 4 août, ce sont justement ces quelques centaines de vieilles maisons et immeubles anciens encore debout dans les quartiers jouxtant le port qui ont le plus trinqué. A l’heure où les réparations des vitres et des fenêtres se négocient en milliers de dollars dans une ville dépossédée de ses comptes en banque, notre patrimoine architectural est vraiment en voie d’extinction, une disparition décisive cette fois. Et qu’on ne nous parle pas de ce satané phénix qui renaîtra de ses cendres! En un siècle, Beyrouth sera passée d’une petite ville de belles pierres, jardins et tuiles rouges à une forêt de béton hideux. Félicitations à notre municipalité pour cet exploit digne d’un livre des records. Comment enlaidir une ville le plus vite possible, bravo... Heureusement, la société civile et l’UNESCO se mobilisent pour tenter de protéger nos quartiers face à la pègre mafieuse et son avidité. Souhaitons leur de réussir et soyons leurs ambassadeurs.
NB:J'ai créé une initiative avec mes enfants Matthieu et Justine Choueiri ainsi que ma nièce Youmna Jalkh . Nous levons des fonds pour aider à couvrir les frais de réparation des maisons traditionnelles endommagées à Beyrouth afin de préserver son patrimoine architectural en danger. Merci de nous contacter si vous avez un projet de réparation d'une maison traditionnelle à Beyrouth endommagée par l'explosion du 4 août 2020. Nos contacts sur place à Gemmayze et Achrafieh vous visiteront et financeront votre projet dans la mesure du possible. Nous mettrons a jour cette page avec des photos avant-apres.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-beirut-old-houses
Avec l'argent récolté par cette initiative, nous voulons aider les occupants de ces maisons à amortir le coup des réparations afin d'encourager de s'y réinstaller et préserver ainsi le patrimoine architectural de Beyrouth.
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