Touring Brutalist Tel-Aviv: The ‘Hilton’ hotel and the nearby Independence Garden

ReCA invites you to explore brutalist buildings in Tel-aviv in three guided virtual tours.
The nascence of the state of Israel in 1948 coincides with the Late-Modernism and Brutalism in Architecture. Most of the public structures built during the 1950s and 1960s manifest brutalist Architecture as a promoter of democracy, modesty, pluralism, and integrity, both in material and in form. ReCA’s team, led by founder Arch. Amnon Rechter and Curator Arch. Dana Gordon will conduct three virtual guided tours in which we will explore the term ‘power’ and its relation to Architecture, Urbanism, and ‘The State’. We will examine three iconic buildings planned by Rechter Architects in Tel-Aviv and their adjacent urban context.

The 'Hilton' Hotel was inaugurated in 1965. As a state initiative, it aimed at placing Israel on the tourism global map while at the same time presenting Israeli society as contemporary and dynamic. This brutalist building is still considered one of the most iconic and significant structures built in Israel. The story of the establishment of the hotel, the site where it stands, and its excellent design reveals the deep connection between architecture, international aspirations, capitalist economics, and raises key questions of a developing society's identity.