The renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, designer of the "String Bridge" in Jerusalem, recently visited Haifa at the invitation of an anonymous Jewish billionaire who is expected to help establish new iconic structures in the city.
In the past few weeks, a Jewish donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, announced his intention to donate millions of dollars to Haifa’s port to realize his vision of a maritime museum. This unique international museum concept was originally pursued by Haifa's mayor, Yona Yahav, in his previous term, and he is now working on its implementation.
According to Calatrava's vision, the future museum will be an iconic structure built on a bridge in the harbor, creating the illusion of a floating museum when viewed from the city. During his visit, Calatrava also proposed the idea of constructing a concert hall near the planned museum.
The connection with the Jewish donor was facilitated by Natan Bernstein, a mutual friend of the donor and Mayor Yahav. Bernstein, a former resident of Haifa and a New York-based art gallery owner, was instrumental in arranging the first planning meeting for the ambitious project. This meeting, held at the Port of Haifa, included Calatrava, Mayor Yahav, Udi Sharon (CEO of the Port of Haifa), Erez Baharier (CEO of Haifa's Seafront), architect Ami Shinar, and Ariel Waterman (the city engineer of Haifa).
Currently owned by the "Adani-Gadot" group, the Port of Haifa is undergoing a period of renewal and growth. The establishment of the "Seafront" project, once a distant dream, is now becoming a reality that will transform Haifa and position it alongside leading port cities worldwide that have undergone similar revitalizations. Updated plans for the seafront and proposed locations for the museum's construction were presented at the meeting by architect Ami Shinar and Erez Baharier.
Mayor Yona Yahav commented, "The Municipality of Haifa views the 'Urban Sea Front' as a strategic project that will position Haifa as a leading tourist and cultural city on an international scale. The establishment of the new museum is another important step towards realizing this vision and continues the cultural revitalization initiated by the new performance complex in the port."
Erez Baharier added, "Haifa's seafront aims to produce international icons that will serve as anchors for the city for decades to come. This project marks a new era for Haifa, and the collaboration with world-class architects aligns perfectly with the mayor’s vision, bringing us closer to our goal."