Independence Park, early 20th century – another glimpse of old Jerusalem.
Independence Park is the green heart of Jerusalem, nestled between King George Street, Hillel Street, and Agron Street.
At the heart of the park lies Mamilla Pool, visible in the center of the image. It was once part of Jerusalem’s vast water system dating back to Byzantine times, from which life-giving water flowed through aqueducts to the Pool of Chezkiyahu in the Old City.
When those aqueducts were sealed, both toward the Old City and toward the pool itself, the reservoir was reduced to a seasonal winter basin, filled only by rainwater, hosting rare and distinctly “local” frogs during the colder months.
At the lower left of the image stands the building that once housed Chorev School, founded in 1934, which combined Torah and Derech Eretz, on what is today Harav Avida Street.
Within the park, near Mamilla Pool, lies an old Muslim cemetery, containing dozens of gravestones from the Mamluk period.
With the British conquest of the land and the expulsion of the Ottomans, a new chapter began. The British set out to plan and modernize the city, defining land use in an effort to transform sleepy Jerusalem into a developing urban center.
The British architect Charles Robert Ashbee, who was entrusted with the city’s master plan, designated the open areas surrounding the Old City, including what is now Independence Park, as green public space.
In 1930, the first section of the park was established near King George Street, still known today as Meir Sherman Garden.
After the War of Independence, the land was transferred to the Custodian of Absentee Property, who in 1952 handed it over to the Municipality of Jerusalem.
In 1957, South African Jews raised funds to develop the park. It was officially inaugurated in 1958, on Israel’s 10th Independence Day, hence its name, Independence Park, in the presence of the then Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, who even then criticized the fact that not enough trees had been planted.
Over time, the municipality continued developing the area, often at the expense of the park itself.
In 1957, the SOLEL BONEH – INFRASTRUCTURE was constructed at the corner of King George and Avida Streets. Later came the Arlozorov School (today the Experimental School), alongside which a parking lot was built on former park grounds, land that would eventually become today’s Museum of Tolerance.
The municipality even purchased adjacent land to the north, where Beit Amir was inaugurated in 1961 – better known locally as the “square and rather unattractive building” at the top of Agron Street, above what would later become a Shufersal supermarket. The original plan was to construct a 22-story municipal tower there. But the election of Teddy Kollek as mayor in 1965 changed the course of history: he chose to locate City Hall along the border line between the city’s two parts, as a symbol of the hope for its future reunification.
The designated land was eventually sold for the construction of the Plaza Hotel, completed in 1975. Though it has changed ownership over the years, to Jerusalemites, it will always simply be “the Plaza.”
For many years, the park languished- neglected, underlit, and sparsely planted, becoming a nighttime meeting point for society’s margins.
In the 1990s, the park was revitalized and dedicated in memory of the American Jewish philanthropist Harry Wilf. Renovated and illuminated, it was reborn as a vibrant gathering place and once again became Jerusalem’s green heart. It hosted student day concerts and public events, until these moved to Sacher Park and the Be’er Festival grounds.
But in Jerusalem, as in Jerusalem every stone tells a story – and history has a way of coming full circle in the most unexpected ways.
Real estate pressures in a city where every square meter is worth gold have driven accelerated development of luxury buildings bordering the park.
In 2024, the Museum of Tolerance, by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, opened- originally designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry, serving as a counterpart to the museum inaugurated in Los Angeles in 1997.
At the turn of the 21st century, the family of Harry Wilf, the very philanthropist who helped restore the park, joined another American Jewish family to purchase the old SOLEL BONEH – INFRASTRUCTURE, which had stood abandoned for decades at the corner of King George and Harav Avida. After nearly 30 years of endless bureaucracy, a generational circle is now being closed: a luxury hotel from the InterContinental chain is nearing completion, alongside a 15-story residential tower offering panoramic views over Independence Park, the Old City walls, and the Temple Mount. We had the privilege of playing an active role in its successful marketing – another layer in this intergenerational story.
Independence Park, now something of Jerusalem’s own “Central Park,” has become the heart of a cluster of high-end real estate projects, attracting buyers who seek not just a home, but a view – of history itself: the Old City walls, iconic buildings, and Jerusalem’s unmistakable skyline.
With so little land left for development, the remaining plots around the park have become some of the most coveted in the city.
And yet, appetite grows with opportunity.
In the past year, a broad redevelopment plan has been submitted for the Chasbon complex—the “second ring” around the park, between Hillel and King George Streets. The proposal has sparked widespread debate among residents, once again raising the timeless Jerusalem question: how to balance preservation of the city’s unique character with the demands of growth and the ever-increasing desire to live in the eternal capital of the Jewish people.
Because this is Jerusalem-
A city of history and contradictions.
From a water pool that once sustained ancient Jerusalem and the Temple, to a modern park that welcomes all who come to the city – a green refuge facing the Old City walls. Empires rose believing they would rule here forever, only to collapse into history. And the Jewish people returned to their ancestral city, still searching for the balance between growth and identity in a place that has been their center for over 3,000 years.
Wishing a Shabbat Shalom to those near and far from Jerusalem.
May all our soldiers return home safely, from shaping history in the present—
Bayamim hahem bazman hazeh.
Photo: Library of Congress.
