Bialik Street is a short street in the center of Tel Aviv named after Haim Nachman Bialik, known as Israel’s national poet. Bialik is not a major street today, it is not a transportation hub of any kind and has almost no trade, but it is considered one of the most important streets in the history of Tel Aviv and one of the most photogenic ones in the city. Almost all the houses on the street have a history or cultural and architectural interest related to the history of the city.
The southern end of the street is at the intersection of Allenby Street, and its northern end is Bialik Square – a small round square surrounded by several important buildings, with a fountain designed by Nahum Gutman in its center. The street was named after the famous street tenant, Haim Nachman Bialik, while he was still alive. His house, known as the “Bialik House”, is located near the square at the end of the street and was built by the architect Yosef Minor. After his death, the Tel Aviv Municipality decided that Bialik should be commemorated on a more central street, and Chen Boulevard was named after him as well (“Chen” in Hebrew being an acronym of “Haim Nachman”).
Around the square is also the old town hall, the town hall’s intermediate residence that moved from Rothschild Boulevard here, before its current residence was built in Rabin Square.
Bialik Street is one of the focal points of the White City – most of the buildings are built in the international style and the rest in the eclectic style. The street and its surroundings are defined as “Area C” within the UNESCO conservation Area and almost all the buildings on the street are declared as conservation buildings.
Notable Buildings in Bialik Street
Reuven House (No. 14)- Architect Pinchas Bijonsky, who also designed the Goldin House in Bialik 6 and the house in Bialik 20 (demolished in the 1960s), designed this building in an international style. In 1954, the painter Reuven Rubin, who was known as a close friend of Haim Nachman Bialik, purchased the entire building. Robin loved to paint the developing Tel Aviv and was known as a Tel Aviv patriot. He died in 1974, and his home is open to the general public. There is a museum of his works, galleries, active workshops for children and youth, and the restored studio of the artist.
The synagogue of the Rebbe of Husiatin (No. 19) – This beautiful structure was designed by the architect Joseph Berlin. He immigrated to Israel in 1921 and was soon appointed chief architect of the Ministry of Public Works and Building. In 1936, the house was rented to a Rebbe from Husiatin and became the Hasidic Center in Tel Aviv. It has been used as a synagogue for many years.
The Bauhaus Museum (No. 21) – House No. 21 houses the Bauhaus Style Museum, which was inaugurated in 2007. The architect, Shlomo Gepstein, designed the house inspired by the famous “Bauhaus” school of architecture, art, and design in Germany. Some of the school’s graduates, who fled to Israel following the Nazi persecution, expressed their style in their local work – much of which happened in Tel Aviv. In 1989, the building was acquired by the Jewish-American businessman Ron Lauder, the son of cosmetics tycoon Estee Lauder. The building has undergone extensive conservation, and on its first floor is the “Bauhaus Museum.” Few know about it as the building is enclosed, surrounded by lush vegetation, and does not advertise its activities.
Bialik House (No. 22) – The house of the national poet Haim Nachman Bialik.
One of the reasons that motivated the poet from Odessa to build his house in Tel Aviv, was his deep friendship with Meir Dizengoff, its first mayor. Dizengoff tried to attract cultural figures to come and live in the city, to brand it as the main Hebrew city in the regenerating country. In 1924, the mayor congratulated the poet on his choice to live in Tel Aviv and promised him that the street would be named after him during his lifetime – an unacceptable decision that would not pass in the current day.
Architect Joseph Minor combined oriental and western elements in this villa: arches, ornate floors, Greek-style columns, and the spire with the dome on the roof. By the way, Bialik had a great interest in the process and he took an active part in the planning and design of the house, down to the level of the color of the walls. After Bialik died in 1934, the house was used by the Hebrew Writers’ Association, later donated to the municipality of Tel Aviv, and since then it has operated as a museum to commemorate the national poet.
Felicja Blumenthal Music Center (No. 26) – Originally it was the “Shenkar House”, which was established in 1931 by the architect Dov Hershkovitz. The owner of the house, Arie Shenkar, was a pioneer in the textile industry in Israel and the first president of the Israel Manufacturers Association. The Shenkar family donated their home to the Tel Aviv Municipality, and it was initially used as a museum of Tel Aviv history and later as the city’s music library. In 1994 the old building was demolished, and in 1997 it was reopened – this time as the Felicja Blumenthal Music Center.
She was a Jewish pianist who lived most of her life abroad, and died in 1991 in Israel, during a tour. She was buried in Tel Aviv, and after her death, the center was named after her. The prominent orange color was chosen, Harmony with the blue of the sky and the green of the trees.
Tel Aviv-Yafo City Hall (No. 27) – In 1924, the British entrepreneur Avraham Skora built a hotel at the end of the hill on Bialik Street. In those days it was possible to view the sea from it. The building’s architect, Moshe Cherner, gave the building a classic look with a concave façade from which a convex balcony stands out.
A year after its establishment, following the expansion of the city and the increasing density of the first town hall on Rothschild Boulevard, the Skora Hotel was chosen to temporarily house the town hall. Three years later, in 1928, it was purchased by the municipality and became its permanent residence for 40 years, until the move in 1965 to the current building on Ibn Gvirol Street.
In 2009, the year of the city’s centenary celebrations, the building received the respect it deserved and underwent a thorough renovation, becoming the “City House” – the center of Tel Aviv for urban culture.
Bialik Square – a square at the northern end of the street.
Summary
In the lovely Bialik Street, which is only 300 meters long, you can find a collection of buildings with great history, architecture, culture, and material and spiritual values, and tell the story of the city of Tel Aviv. Go see it with your own eyes.