Beirut City Center Recovery

The Foch-Allenby and Etoile area epitomizes the development of Beirut's civic, business and cultural identity as a national capital and as a port city. Evolving from the heart of the old city in the mid-nineteenth century to the showcase of the French Mandate in the Levant, the area became the symbol of the city's reconstruction following the 1975-1990 Lebanon war. Proceedings according to a pre-approved but flexible master plan, the recovery of Beirut city center is a major postwar reconstruction and urban regeneration project. It is spearheaded by Solidere, a private real estate company established by special legislation in 1994 and capitalized with property right holders' contributions in kind and new investors' cash contributions.