The Weizmann House ( he, בית ויצמן) was the home of the first

President of Israel The president of the State of Israel ( he, נְשִׂיא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Nesi Medinat Yisra'el, or he, נְשִׂיא הַמְדִינָה, Nesi HaMedina, President of the State) is the head of state of Israel. The posi ...

Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israel ...

, and first

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Vera Weizmann Vera Weizmann (née Chatzman) ( he, ורה ויצמן; November 27, 1881 – September 24, 1966), wife of Chaim Weizmann, the first president of the State of Israel, was a medical doctor and a Zionist activist. Biography Vera Chatzman was born ...

. The house sits atop a hill in

Rehovot Rehovot ( he, רְחוֹבוֹת ''Rəḥōvōt'', ar, رحوڤوت ''Reḥūfūt'') is a city in the Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of . Etymology Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu movement, ...

, and is now part of the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...

. The house was designed by Jewish architect

Erich Mendelsohn Erich Mendelsohn (21 March 1887 – 15 September 1953) was a German architect, known for his expressionist architecture in the 1920s, as well as for developing a dynamic Functionalism (architecture), functionalism in his projects for department ...

, and is recognized as a masterpiece.

History

In 1934 Chaim Weizmann, who was then living in England, asked Mendelsohn to plan his house in Israel — after hearing of Mendelsohn's project for

Salman Schocken Salman Schocken or Shlomo Zalman Schocken ( he, שלמה זלמן שוקן) (October 30, 1877 August 6, 1959) was a German Jewish publisher, and co-founder of the large Kaufhaus Schocken chain of department stores in Germany. Stripped of his citi ...

's house in Jerusalem. The design process was extensive and initiated a complicated relationship between Weizmann and Mendelsohn. Weizmann required a modest house, and when asked about the cost, Mendelsohn bid £20,000, which was nearly twice the amount Weizmann was ready to invest. The two corresponded for several months, with Mendelsohn trying to convince Weizmann that building the house according to his designs was a good decision: the costs were not to be spent on luxury, rather they would benefit the personal and official requirements of the Weizmanns. This correspondence continued until August 1935, when the two agreed on the program after long negotiation, especially with regard to the price. The building of the house took about a year, and the Weizmanns were able to take ownership in January 1937. The final cost after negotiations and construction was £14,832 6 s 8 d.Weizmann Institute of Science
''A Dream House at Minimal Cost''
Interface, Fall/Winter 2000 Though this house was designed for the Weizmanns, they lived there only after the Second World War, several years after it was ready for them. When the Weizmanns were not home the house was lived in by visiting world leaders, luminaries, and guests. After the house was completed difficulties between the architect and clients continued: Chaim Weizmann was displeased with Mendelsohn over imperfections in the building such as dampness in the winter, and Vera Weizmann chose her own interior decoration over that of Mendelsohn.Yael Zisling

Gems in Israel, December 2000 The house now displays the art and objects that the Weizmanns had collected.Ruth Heiges
''Home of Chaim Weizmann elevated to museum quality''
World Zionist Press Service, 5 May 2000 The design of the house was met with praise early on. One guest, the niece of

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, (, ; 25 July 184819 March 1930), also known as Lord Balfour, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As F ...

described it as "a modern, aristocratic house, in harmony with its surroundings, well suited to its purpose, fully expressing the soul of its owners, and, like them, a national treasure."Weizmann Institute of Science
''Weizmann House: History and Architecture''
accessed 13 September 2009 Beginning in 1949 until Chaim Weizmann's death three years later, the years Weizmann served as President of Israel, the house functioned as the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the President. The house was adapted into a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

in 1978 and was featured on an Israeli postage stamp in 1991. It underwent further renovations in 1999, during the presidency of the Weizmanns' nephew,

Ezer Weizmann Ezer Weizman (; he, עֵזֶר וַיצְמָן ''Ezer Vaytsman''; 15 June 1924 – 24 April 2005) was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Ai ...

Architecture

The house was designed in keeping with the international style though many aspects distinguish it from the style as a characteristic and original work of Erich Mendelsohn. Situated on of land, it was designed to be becoming of its site, climate, and landscape. From the top of a hill, the house has a commanding view of the coastal plain, a primary consideration in planning of the house. The structure is symmetrical, which is not common for its style. The form of the structure is simple and is designed to exacting proportions, which are highlighted by the use of clean forms. The structure is organized around a cylindrical stairwell, half facing the

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

of the house with a

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky pool ...

in its center. Although courtyards enclosed on four sides are an architectural typology, in this case the front facade of the house blurs the boundary between the interior of the house, and the natural environment, both because of this openness to the landscape and the open space above through the roofing. Mendelsohn designed a number of buildings in Israel in addition to the Weizmann house, including several buildings at the Sieff Institute which would later become the

, the Schocken house and library, Mount Scopus Hadassah Hospital, the first building for the

Rambam Hospital Rambam Health Care Campus ( he, רמב"ם - הקריה הרפואית לבריאות האדם) commonly called Rambam Hospital, is a teaching hospital in the Bat Galim neighborhood of Haifa, Israel founded in 1938, 10 years before the establishme ...

, and the Anglo-Palestine Bank building, now the Bank Leumi in Jerusalem.Lili Eylon
''Erich Mendelsohn - Oriental from East Prussia''
Architecture Week, 24 January 2001

Gardens

The gardens on the grounds of the complex are the resting place for

Chaim The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name ''Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, wikt:חיים#Proper noun, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ...

and

Gallery

Chaim_Weizmann_House.jpg, Weizmann Residence in 2021 Beitweizmann03.jpg, upInterior view of the spiral staircase tower Interior view down spiral staircase tower Beit Weizmann house.jpg, Interior view down spiral staircase tower Library Beit Weizmann House.jpg, Library Weizmann House Saffinia Israel.jpg, upIranian minister Reza Saffinia arriving at the Weizmann House, to greet

Yom Ha'atzmaut Independence Day ( he, יום העצמאות ''Yom Ha'atzmaut'', lit. "Day of Independence") is the national day of Israel, commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonies ...

, 1950

Notes

{{coord, 31, 54, 23.23, N, 34, 49, 6.83, E, region:IL, display=title Buildings and structures in Rehovot Erich Mendelsohn buildings Museums in Central District (Israel) Historic house museums in Israel International Style (architecture) Modernist architecture in Israel