388:. In the 1990s, the complex was demolished with the exception of its iconic cinema. The "egg" (sometimes also called the dome or the soap) has survived and has over the years become a symbol of the prewar avant-garde. It has inspired artists and architects to propose a number of ideas for rehabilitation.
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Among Karam's influential projects was the Beirut City Center. Built in 1966, it was a multi-use complex that included an office building, an egg-shaped cinema and a shopping mall that was at the time the largest in the Middle East. The Beirut City Center was badly damaged during the
402:, at the time part of the Intercontinental Hotels chain owned by Pan American Airways. The first phase, a low-rise concrete structure built opposite the Baie de St George and the Mediterranean sea, had been designed by the American architect
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Talk of its possible demolition in the past two decades has mobilized students and architects in favor of its preservation. The current owners of the site have affirmed their desire to preserve it and to integrate it into a new project.
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in the 1950s. Karam mimicked Stone’s exterior theme in the new high-rise addition, while putting his own mark on the large expansion of the lobby area and interiors.
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during the country's golden era, 1945 to 1975. Karam founded his practice the
Atelier d'Architecture Joseph Philippe Karam in the late 1940s.
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Joseph
Philippe Karam was born in Beirut in 1923, the fourth child of Philippe and Chafi'a Karam. His family were Christian
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During his short life, Karam was a prolific designer and builder. His completed projects include: (not an exhaustive list)
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Karam graduated with diplomas in
Mathematics and Engineering-Architecture in 1946 from the
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In 1951, he married Mona George Hayek, a law school graduate. Mona was the sister of late
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southeast of Beirut. He attended primary and secondary school in Beirut at the Jesuit
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article on 9 April 2016 commemorating the 40th anniversary of his death:
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Joseph
Philippe Karam, un Architecte Pionnier aux Idees Avant-Gardistes
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He died from cardiac arrest on 9 April 1976 while on a business trip.
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In the 1960s, Karam won the commission for the second phase of the
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broke out on the Beirut waterfront, pitting militiamen in the
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Several of Karam's buildings suffered heavy damage during the
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article by his sons marking the 40th anniversary of his death
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150:Multi-Use, Office, Commercial and Institutional:
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529:"Solidere denies demolition of Beirut's 'egg'"
354:More information and photos can be found at
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323:Multiple projects, Badaro/Foret des Pins,
360:the Joseph Philippe Karam Facebook Page
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494:Joseph Philippe Karam Official Website
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171:Phase 2. Phase 1 had been designed by
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577:Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour alumni
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466:Karam had a consuming passion for
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582:20th-century Lebanese architects
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130:. He was a leading figure of
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20:Joseph Philippe Karam
411:Battle of the Hotels
404:Edward Durrell Stone
572:Artists from Beirut
557:Lebanese architects
468:modern architecture
425:Life and background
173:Edward Durell Stone
132:modern architecture
386:Lebanese Civil War
379:Beirut City Center
372:Lebanese Civil War
216:Philips Showroom,
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142:Completed projects
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56:(1976-04-09)
54:9 April 1976
567:1976 deaths
562:1923 births
419:Holiday Inn
73:Nationality
551:Categories
514:References
435:Beiteddine
366:War damage
91:Occupation
32:1923-03-19
535:5 January
431:Maronites
128:architect
94:Architect
459:founder
125:Lebanese
107:Children
76:Lebanese
437:in the
358:and at
349:Lebanon
339:Lebanon
329:Lebanon
319:Lebanon
309:Lebanon
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289:Lebanon
272:Lebanon
268:Jounieh
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191:Lebanon
187:Jounieh
181:Lebanon
164:Lebanon
136:Lebanon
62:Larnaca
44:Lebanon
345:Beirut
335:Beirut
325:Beirut
315:Beirut
305:Beirut
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285:Beirut
258:Beirut
248:Beirut
238:Beirut
228:Beirut
218:Beirut
208:Jeddah
198:Jeddah
177:Beirut
160:Beirut
99:Spouse
66:Cyprus
40:Beirut
537:2013
51:Died
26:Born
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