The 'Eden' Company continues to engage with the downtown central business district (CBD), positioning the Jerusalem downtown area as an active urban center that combines an excellent quality of life for its residents, an attractive environment for tourists and visitors alike, and a magnet for innovative businesses, culture and recreation.
Eden’s efforts in the downtown area are based on the perception of the city’s historic central business district as a laboratory for urban renewal, while simultaneously combining a range of activities in different timeframes with the ultimate aim of planning and delivering excellent groundbreaking projects.
Thanks to our accumulated experience, primary business areas – and the city center in particular – provide a sophisticated arena to further hone the ‘Eden’ Company’s expertise, creating a profusion of projects in the area. This provides a holistic, all-encompassing concept for upgrading the public space and encouraging programs from the private sector for urban renewal.
The ‘Eden’ Company specializes in high-standard upgrading of public spaces, mainly of pedestrian malls and high foot-traffic streets, as part of our innovative philosophy of traffic in the town center. The current and future routes of the light railway will make downtown accessible through an excellent public transportation system, with very limited access for private vehicles in the area.
The relocation of Israel Railway’s intercity train service to Navon Station downtown is expected to complete the process and convert the city center into a major transportation hub, rounding out the many upgrading and renovation works done in the past and finalizing the roads’ future upgrade.
Streets previously upgraded include Coresh, Shlomzion HaMalka, Yannai, Shimon Ben Shetach, Ben Sira, Agron, Shlomo HaMelech, Chavazelet, Hillel, Shamai, HaHistadrut, Munbaz, Yavetz, Agrippas, Yoel Moshe Salomon, and Menashe Ben Yisrael.
Squares previously upgraded include Generali, Zion Square, Davidka Square, Ki’akh Square, and Chatulot Square.
HaNevi’im Street
One of Jerusalem’s main streets, HaNevi’im boasting many historical architectural gems of the 19th and early 20th century. The upgrading works are intended to reinvigorate and renovate HaNevi’im Street and highlight its uniqueness as a living historic museum.
The public space will undergo reorganization and be made accessible with preference given to pedestrians, while a creating an integrated local and unique vernacular for the street.
Design: Miller-Blum Environmental and Landscape Design
The Nachlaot Neighborhood
Nachlaot is one of the city’s neighborhoods most visited by tourists, who enjoy meandering around its enclosed courtyards. Upgrading the public urban space is intended to make the area more accessible and safer with priority given to pedestrian traffic, while creating an integrated local vernacular which will help preserve the unique historic nature of the street.
Design: Arad Simon Architects
Agrippas Street
Sukkat Shalom
Mishkenot Yisrael
Mazkeret Moshe
Ohel Moshe
Zichron Tuvya
Shilo Street
Batei Goral
Batei Rand
Batei Broide
Knesset A
Knesset B
Batei Munkacs
Knesset C
Shevet Achim
Mesilat Yesharim Street
Bezalel Street
‘Eden’ is working in a number of arenas to promote and consolidate the town center by investing in existing academic centers and establishing new ones, with an emphasis on art and culture, in order to transform the area into an urban campus which will attract people to the city center. The Menora Campus is the project’s flagship, along with additional projects:
The New Bezalel Campus
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design will relocate to its new campus which is currently being built close to the Russian Compound in the city center. The ‘Eden’Company has finalized the urban space development plan for the area around the campus which includes Gruzenberg, Heleni HaMalka and Mish’ol HaGvura streets. The area is being renovated in parallel with the building works.
Musrara School
The Ma’aleh School of Television, Film and the Arts
The school of television, film and arts, the Ma’aleh School. The new architectural design creates more space within the existing building with an additional two floors, as well as an auditorium in the basement.
Architects: Eicholz-Antebi Architects
The ‘Eden’ Company presents a renewed and key campus in the town center. The campus is forging ahead with activities and a number of timeframes. It is an example of the renewal of the city’s fabric that offers unique, mixed-use opportunities based on academic institutions and cultural infrastructure as a catalyst for urban renewal.
The Campus includes the following:
A. The Kirsh Jerusalem Arts Campus
Downtown Jerusalem provides a broad stage for the performing arts. Four schools have come together in the new Bezalel Street (corner of Trumpeldor Street) open campus: the Nissan Nativ Studio, the Sam Spiegel School of Cinema and Television, the School of Visual Theater, and the Center for Middle Eastern Classical Music. The campus consists of three buildings with a large courtyard and café which will be accessible to the general public.
Beneath the campus, a public parking lot was opened in 2020 with 415 parking spaces which will be available for users of the campus.
Design: Efrat-Kowalsky Architects
The project is financed by donations, the Municipality of Jerusalem, the ‘Eden’ Company and the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage.
B. Renovation of Beit Ha’am
The renovation of the Gerard Behar Theater in Beit Ha’am and its conversion into a modern performance auditorium is intended to improve user experience. The auditorium will be the downtown venue to host dance performances and concerts.
Design: Arad-Simon Architects
C. The Beit Ha’am Dance Center and Affordable Housing
The project for affordable low-cost rental housing is planned as part of the Beit Ha’am Campus, close to the Gerard Behar Auditorium. This will be carried out as part of the renovation and conversion of a section of the existing building and the addition of a number of additional floors.
The project includes a dance center for dance companies which currently use the center, as well as a café and 80 residential units of 1-2 rooms.
Design: Arad-Simon Architects
D. The Triangle Lot, Low-Cost Rental Housing
The project aims to create affordable, low-cost rental housing in the “Triangle Lot” which is located in the area north of the Ussishkin and Menorah Street intersection. The proposed eight-story building will consist of 130 residential units of 1-2 rooms.
Design: Efrat-Kowalsky Architects
