The historic square, actually named Freedom Square, features a small memorial to the Davidka, a homemade Israeli mortar used in the defense of Jerusalem during the War of Independence.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFDavidka Square, Jerusalem.(photo credit: YONINAH/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
The Jerusalem Municipality approved last week a plan for work to begin at the picturesque Davidka Square on Jaffa Street. The project will be part of the city's ongoing urban renewal projects and will be carried out by the Urban Renewal Corporation.Plans include the demolition of an existing four-story building with 74 housing units (39 of which are used as a hostel) and 18 stores, and the construction of a new eight-story building with a 30-story tower.The plan also includes a new commercial front for all the peripheral streets, an internal public passageway that will connect 172 residential units of various sizes to the adjacent building, as well as office space and the Abraham Hostel, in Davidka Square since 2011, which is expected to return to the new building after construction is completed. In addition, the new building will include public toilets on the street level, about 450 square meters of built-up area for municipal needs, as well as three day care centers.Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said, "The Davidka [Square] is a historical gem in the center of Jerusalem....Urban renewal projects in the center of the capital will make it a more attractive city and will place it alongside the most beautiful cities in the world."The historic square, actually named Freedom Square, features a small memorial to the Davidka, a homemade Israeli mortar used in the defense of Jerusalem and other cities during the 1948 War of Independence.
