Sansur Building, Commercial building at Zion Square, Jerusalem, Israel.
The Sansur Building is a three-storey office and commercial block at the corner of Jaffa Road and Ben Yehuda Street, on Zion Square in central Jerusalem. It was designed and built in an eclectic style by the Samaha Brothers company of Lebanon, with rococo-style capitals, plant and animal ornaments and Renaissance-like motifs. Inside, narrow corridors run in a loop around a central stairwell, with office doors on both sides.
It was constructed in 1931 during the British Mandate period as part of Jerusalem's commercial expansion. The building emerged during a time when the city was developing new commercial centers.
The building's name is commemorated on an oval stone plaque above the main entrance facing Zion Square. The British Mandate authorities named the square "Sansur Plaza", but the name Zion Square stuck thanks to the popular Zion Cinema. The eclectic style mixes Rococo-style capitals and plant and animal motifs with elements recalling Renaissance houses, a fashion in Arab building of the period.
The building has two entrances: one from Ben Yehuda Street and one from Lunz Street, while its main front faces Zion Square at the Jaffa Road corner. Inside, narrow corridors run in a loop around a central stairwell, with office doors on both sides. A public passage through the building links Ben Yehuda and Lunz streets.
An oval stone plaque above the main entrance facing Zion Square records the name of the building's founder, Kamal Mikhail Sansur. The British Mandate authorities named the square "Sansur Plaza", but the name Zion Square stuck because of the popular Zion Cinema.
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