The long-closed but landmark Dan Pearl Hotel in Jerusalem is about to give way to newer things, Kipa News reported Monday.
Built in the late 1990s in one of the most exclusive locations in the nation’s capital – between IDF Square and the Old City of Jerusalem – the building passed through the hands of multiple owners before it closed forever in 2003, according to Israel Travel News.
The structure was originally slated for demolition in 2018.
In its place were plans to build a new 170-room hotel, with eight underground floors and an additional 16 residential units as compensation to the owners for not being able to raise the building higher than the Old City walls nearby.
The building, which once housed 110 rooms, including 22 luxury suites, has nevertheless been empty for more than 20 years.
From the site of the Jerusalem Pearl Hotel, as it is called in English, one can see the Citadel of David, and Mount Zion as well as the ancient stones of the Old City walls. Jaffa Gate, the Western Wall and the Mamilla Mall all are just a short walk from the building.
On Monday (April 4), a municipal demolition order was received by the building’s owners, part of the legal process necessary to advance plans to remove the structure.
City Engineer Yoel Even stated in his affidavit, “The location of the building is of historic and strategic importance, inasmuch as it is adjacent to the railway tracks that transport thousands of people every day.”
The municipality under Mayor Moshe Leon acted against the owners of the abandoned hotel to expedite approval of the plan to demolish the building, ratifying the plan before issuing a demolition order.
The owners of the building have long attempted to delay the proceedings, evading the necessity of applying for their own demolition permit until finally, the December 31, 2021 deadline for doing so was reached, and expired.
City officials say that leaving the building “as is” damages the visual appearance of the capital, the special environmental and conservation value of the Old City, and the historic complexes located adjacent to the structure.
