Youssif Aftimus
Personal information
Name	Youssif Aftimus
Nationality	Lebanese
Birth date	November 25, 1866(1866-11-25)
Birth place	Deir el Qamar, Chouf, Lebanon
Date of death	September 10, 1952
Work
Buildings	Beirut City Hall and Hamidiyyeh Clock Tower

Youssef Aftimus (25 November 1866–10 September 1952); (يوسف أفتيموس) was a Lebanese civil engineer and architect who specialized in Arabo-Mauresque architecture. Aftimus was the author of many of Beirut’s landmarks such as the Municipality Building, the Grand Serail's Hamidiyyeh clock tower, the Hamidiyyeh Fountain and the Barakat Building.^[1] More than an engineer and an architect, Aftimus was also academic, a journalist, a visionary urban planner an enthusiastic patriot, politician and philanthropist.^[2]

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Career in Lebanon 2.1.1 Other works 2.1.2 Unrealized projects 2.1.3 Not Proven 2.2 Works Abroad 3 The "Yellow building" controversy 4 References

[edit] Early life

Youssef Aftimus was born on November 25^th 1866 to a Greek Catholic family in the historic town of Deir el Qamar. Aftimus attended school at Collège des Frères in his hometown of Deir el Qamar as of 1875 ^[3]. In 1879 he transferred to the Syrian Protestant College (later known as the American University of Beirut to complete his studies. From Beirut, Aftimus traveled to New York where he attended as of 1885 the Union College for engineering studies and graduated in 1891. The Pennsylvania Railroad company presented Aftimus with his first job; he worked on the Hudson Canal and the Pennsylvania Railways.^[3]
In 1893 Aftimus worked on the construction of the "Persian Palace", "Turkish Village" and "Cairo Street" pavilions for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Cairo Street was a particularly popular attraction in the fair.^[4] Aftimus then traveled to Antwerp and the following year to Berlin to resume his architecture studies. Meanwhile construction work was underway on the Grand Serail Clock tower.
In 1898, Youssef Aftimus was recruited by the Municipality of Beirut where he met Bechara Al Muhandes his future father in law, he later married Rose Bechara in 1899.^[3]

[edit] Career

[edit] Career in Lebanon

Between 1898 and 1903, Youssef Aftimus became an engineer of the Municipality of Beirut, he designed in 1900 the Hamidiyyeh Fountain, which was dedicated by the Beirut Municipality to Sultan Abdelhamid II. The fountain, originally on Riad el-Solh/as-Sour square was later moved and is still presently in the Sanayeh park. In 1911, Aftimus founded a consultant office in partnership with Emile Kacho who was also an engineer. Aftimus won won the design competition for Beirut's City Hall in 1923, the municipal building still stands at Weygand and Foch crossroad.^[3]

[edit] Other works

• 1924 Nabatiyeh: drinking water supplying
• 1924 Nicolas Barakat building
• 1925 Buildings in the Hotel-Dieu de France hospital
• 1927 Construction of Aftimus House (Kantari)
• 1929 Conference on Arab Architecture. (Death of his son Fouad Aftimus).
• 1929 Construction of Issa blg (Trad Hospital), housing the US consulate.
• 1932 Zouheir building (Haïgazian College)
• 1933 Beirut Municipality building. Sage Hall (BUC).^[3]

[edit] Unrealized projects

• 1935 Unbuilt project for a Greek Catholic Cathedral.^[3]

[edit] Not Proven

• Grand Theater in Beirut facing Maarad St.^[3][5]

[edit] Works Abroad

• 1903 irrigation projects in Upper-Egypt for the Egyptian Government
• 1910 Iran: works in the North of the country^[3]

[edit] The "Yellow building" controversy

Sentenced for destruction in 1997, this heavily damaged mansion stands at the Lebanese civil war demarcation line. It was saved by Lebanese activists (particularly the architect Mona Hallak). The activists had articles about the mansion published in the press almost every day, petitions, websites, rallies in front of the building. Protestations finally led to the suspension of the decision to destroy the Barakat building in 2003 and the municipality of Beirut decided to acquire it in order to install a memory museum with objects tracing the 7000-year history of the city. The municipality counts on the support of France to advance the restoration.^[6]

[edit] References

• Youssef Aftimus (1866-1952), pioneer in Lebanese Architecture", Al Mouhandess, n11, summer 2000, by Carma Tohme.
• 1891 Union College Yearbook
• watercolor Thure de Thulstrup. Brown, Julie K. Contesting Image: Photography and the World's Columbian Exposition, University of Arizona Press, 1994