Rechter
RECHTER
RECHTER , Israeli architects. ze'ev rechter (1899–1960) was born in Russia and went to Palestine in 1919, working in an engineering office in Jerusalem. He worked for many years as a draughtsman and surveyor, later studying architecture and engineering in Italy and France. After his studies, he returned to Tel Aviv. He had a considerable influence in formulating the types of urban dwelling houses in Israel as a whole, and in Tel Aviv in particular. He introduced the house built on piles, with the lower floor open to the street, which determined the look of residential streets in Tel Aviv and other towns. The first building of this type was Bet Engel in the Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv built by Rechter in 1934–36. Among other public buildings built or designed by Rechter are Binyenei ha-Ummah in Jerusalem, the Meir Hospital at Kefar Sava, the Elisha Hospital in Haifa, the Tel Aviv law courts (in partnership with Dov *Karmi), and the School of Archaeology at the Hebrew University. Rechter was one of the leaders of the modernist movement in Israel, simple forms characterizing his architecture.
His son, ya'akov rechter (1924–2001), was born in Tel Aviv and served as an officer during the War of Independence. In 1951 he became partner in his father's firm. He worked on a number of private buildings and public projects such as the F.R. Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv (in collaboration with D. Karmi). On the death of his father, he ran the office with his brother-in-law, Zarchi. The designs emerging from the reorganized office shifted from a solid sobriety to lively sculptural forms blending with the natural surroundings. In the Zikhron Ya'akov Rest Home, Rechter repeated the cellular pattern of his Tel Aviv Hilton. In a different mood, Rechter experimented with concrete and glass at the Polyclinic in Haifa. Rechter worked on a town-planning scheme for the development of the Tel Aviv seafront. One of his most famous buildings is the Stage Arts building in Tel Aviv, a monumental structure that includes a small piazza, two large entrance gateways, and a large hall. Rechter was awarded the Israel Prize for arts in 1972.
The Ministry of Education and Culture awards the Rechter Prize for excellence and creativity in architecture.
[Abraham Erlik /
Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)]