This exhibition was initiated by the Studio for Building Preservation of the Azrieli School of Architecture at Tel-Aviv University, under the guidance of preservation architects Amnon Bar Or and Sergio Lerman. This is the second exhibition in the series, preceded by “The Well Houses: The Disappearing Palaces of Jaffa” Exhibition, presented at the beginning of 2008.

The exhibition is comprised of three parts: documentation and planning works by the preservation students, who dedicated their last two years to studying the boulevard and its buildings; archival and documentary materials about the boulevard; and works of art in various media. The latter deal with broader topics that emerge from the exhibition, such as: the historic and demographic stratification in Jaffa; hidden real estate conflicts; urban planning as a symptom of political interests; etc.
The history of Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa, which was initially named Jamal Pasha Boulevard and later known as King George the 5th Boulevard, is a fascinating one. The mere variety of its names throughout its existence suggests the multiplicity of cultural strata hidden there.
On its centennial year, Tel Aviv was acknowledged as a ‘world cultural heritage’ site, while Jaffa, which has existed since biblical times, almost slipped into oblivion.
The “First Boulevard” exhibition, presented at Rothschild Boulevard, offers a view of Jerusalem Boulevard. The exhibition was accompanied by a catalog, a special one-day seminar on the topic of preserving the built Arab heritage and an Internet website.
 
Attached is a link to the “First Boulevard” exhibition – Jerusalem Boulevard, Jaffa.

This exhibition is the outcome of an exploratory journey. The architecture students who participate in the Studio for Preservation set out on a journey, without any basic knowledge of the city in which we live – a journey into the suppressed past of Jaffa. Without knowing this past, we would find it extremely difficult to understand the development processes of the city, making any fair and sustainable planning for it virtually impossible.
Surprising discoveries were made, including their acquaintance with a great cultural richness that had gradually developed, reached its peak and then plummeted to depths of neglect and disaster.
We see the process of our exploratory journey as another planning tool that may enable future architects to operate in historically and culturally-sensitive areas.
For several years now, all of us, students and mentors alike, set out together on a journey into the not-so-remote past of Jaffa, each time exploring some other historic area. The well-houses of Jaffa were a surprising discovery, mainly because of the ongoing intention to tear them down. In this exhibition, we are trying to make the public aware of their pitiful physical existence, contrasted with their glorious past, while we attempt to preserve them by their inclusion in the many ongoing preservation programs in the city. The preservation of these well-houses is dedicated to the memory of the founders and for the various communities living around them today.

We attach a link to “The Well Houses: The Disappearing Palaces of Jaffa” Exhibition

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