Michael's Square, Public square at King George Street and Bograshov Street intersection, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Michael's Square consists of two distinct plazas separated by a promenade, with buildings at the edges creating clear architectural boundaries along the streets. The space connects several major thoroughfares and provides access to numerous shops, including the HaOzen HaShlishit bookstore housed in the former Maxim Cinema building.
The square was laid out in July 1934 as Founders' Square. It was renamed in 1942 after Shlomo Mikhoels, the Yiddish actor and director of the Moscow State Jewish Theatre, murdered in 1948 on Stalin's orders. In 1949 the monument to Tel Aviv's founders was placed on the Rothschild Boulevard section that took the square's earlier name.
The square's name honours Shlomo Mikhoels, the Yiddish actor and director of the Moscow State Jewish Theatre, renamed in 1942. A symbolic monument marks the Italian Air Force raid of 9 September 1940, when 130 people were killed and most of the damage fell on this area.
The square lies at the junction of King George Street, Bograshov Street and the western end of Ben Zion Boulevard; Bograshov Street leads from it down to the beach. The two plazas are split by the boulevard, so crossing between them means crossing traffic. A large car park occupies the northeastern part of the square.
The northeastern building, designed by architects Dov and Ram Karmi, kept a ground-floor parking area through the late 2010s even though commercial storefronts were originally planned. This unexpected use shaped how visitors experienced the square for decades.
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