This is one of many 19th-20th century homes that will be torn down by the controversial Boutros road project.
The street in front is Salah Labaki, and this home is near the exit point of the proposed tunnel, which many say may cause more congestion that it proposes to resolve.
Activists and urban planners have proposed that homes like this one could become cultural spaces as part of a Boutros park. But the municipality of Beirut has dismissed those plans.
You can read more about all this in my upcoming piece in the Daily Star, which will be published shortly.
In the meantime, I wonder if anyone knows the history behind this mansion? Some in the neighborhood said it belonged to the Mokbel family, but others were not sure. Apparently it has been abandoned for decades.
Wouldn’t it be great to see how it looked in the old days?
3 comments
Hey Habib 🙂
Yes, it belonged to Dr Mokbel actually, and it’s been abandoned for about 30 years now or more – since Dr Mokbel died… Do you have a pic of the front door of the house? Will be sending you one on Facebook 🙂
check your inbox 🙂
Interesting, thank you! I wonder if he worked at the hospital.