The Drisco Hotel, Tel Aviv-Jaffa

Historical Background

In the center of the American-German Colony in Jaffa stands an impressive stone structure, the Jerusalem Hotel built in 1866 by the Drisco brothers as the “Grand Hotel.” While most buildings in the colony during this time were built of wood, this hotel rose to three stories and was made entirely of stone. In 1870 it was bought by Ernst Hardegg, son of a Templer family, who turned it into the leading hotel in Palestine at the end of the 19th century. Over the years, distinguished guests stayed at the hotel, including the entourage of German Kaiser Wilhelm II. It functioned as a hotel until World War II, when it became a British police interrogation facility and later served as government offices. For about three years the building went through a comprehensive historic building conservation and renovation and reopened again in June 2018 as a luxury hotel named “The Drisco.”

Condition Prior to Conservation

When we got to the building, it was in pretty bad shape – the magnificent ceilings and barrel vaults that once decorated the hotel had collapsed, leaving behind only a skeleton of walls. The original “kurkar” sandstones, which are a key part of the coastal region’s architectural heritage, had worn down significantly and needed major work to fix them.

Project Goals

Our main goal was to bring the building back to life as a luxury hotel that meets modern standards while carefully preserving its authentic character. This meant we needed to choose engineering techniques that would allow us to restore historic elements like the original ceilings, barrel vaults, and Templer paintings in the basement, while also adding modern infrastructure and meeting today’s accessibility and electrical standards.

Engineering Challenges

We faced several key challenges during this project:

Installing an elevator in the ancient building without damaging the original “kurkar” sandstones. Instead of using traditional concrete, we designed a unique steel cage that can be removed – this solution shows an important principle in conservation, the principle of reversibility – adding modern elements that can be removed in the future without damaging the original structure.

Building a shelter under the historic structure. We came up with a precise method that included wall thickening and installation of special anchoring, which let us cast the shelter through a tiny opening of only 20 cm.

Fixing the crumbling kurkar stones needed special expertise. Instead of using modern cement, which could harm the stone, we used traditional lime-based construction techniques that work well with the unique character of kurkar stones.

During the work, we discovered Templer wall paintings in the basement, which needed special attention in our engineering design to successfully keep them intact.

In Partnership With:

Development: American Colony Hotels Conservation Architect: Naor Meimar Interior Design: Ari Shaltiel General Contractor: Afcon Conservation Engineering: Schaffer Ronen Engineers – Meir Ronen and Raffaele Italia