In 1866, a small group of Christians from the US state of Maine landed at Jaffa Port to found the American colony. Settling on a hilltop just outside the walled city of ancient Jaffa, they built houses made of wood and a stone house at the center of the Colony known as the Grand Hotel. After a few years, the German Templar settlers arrived to the American colony and settled in the former homes of the American pioneers. Renamed the German Colony, the neighborhood flourished as homes were upgraded and new buildings were constructed. The Templers purchased the Grand Hotel and gave it a new European flavor transforming it into the luxurious Jerusalem Hotel.
History which is alive and breathing. Today, the Jerusalem Hotel still stands as a palatial villa proudly on the border of the American Colony, between the beautiful Neve Tzedek and the North of Jaffa and is part of Mitcham Keren – the “Keren Complex” the most sought after area of the American colony. In its past – a rich history, submerged in tradition and nostalgia, and in its future – the heart of prestigious living.