| Alhambra Cinema | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of the Alhambra Cinema area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | Jerusalem Boulevard inJaffa,Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Named for | Alhambra in Spain |
| Opened | 1937 |
| Owner | Scientology International Reserves Trust |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Ilyas Murr/Elias Al-Mor (1884-1976) |
| [1][2][3] | |
TheAlhambra Cinema is a 1937Art Deco style building onJerusalem Boulevard inJaffa,Tel Aviv, Israel, designed by Lebanese architect Elias Al-Mor, and originally built as a cinema. It was named after theAlhambra palace in Spain.
Throughout its history it has been active as aPalestinian cultural institution, again as a cinema after theestablishment of Israel, and as a theatre after 1963. In 2010 it was purchased and renovated by theChurch of Scientology, and in 2012 was opened under the nameIdeal Center of Scientology for the Middle East.[4]
The building was opened in May 1937 and was one of the biggest and luxurious cinemas inPalestine.[5] It became a cultural centre and hosted famous Arab artists such asUmm Kulthum,Farid al-Atrash andLeila Mourad.[6] Local residents, both Arabs and Jews, came to the shows together with their families.[6]
The cinema was owned and managed by Palestinian Arabs, among them Isa al-Safri, Muhammad Abduh Hilmi, Muhammad Musa al-Husayni, Muhammad Younis al-Husayni, Muhammad Ramadan Hammu, Hasan Arafeh, Abdul-Rahman Alhaj Ibrahim, and Mughnnam Mughnnam.[7] Photos from 1937, during theArab revolt in Palestine, show light bulbs fitted as a permanent fixture at the top of the building'sturret.
After the1948 Arab–Israeli War it became Israeli property and reopened under the name "Yafor".[4] In 1963 it was taken over by the impresarioGiora Godik who turned it into an independent theatre,[4] again under the name "Alhambra". In the late 1970s the building was largely abandoned.[citation needed] Until 2007 a bank used the main entrance, which faces the boulevard, as a branch.[4]
Starting in 2010 the building, affected by decades of transformations, underwent restoration and refurbishment, and in 2012 it was inaugurated as an Israeli and regional centre forScientology.[4][3]
32°3′6.725″N34°45′33.862″E / 32.05186806°N 34.75940611°E /32.05186806; 34.75940611
