Sursock Palace, 19th century landmark, destroyed in Beirut blasts
160-year-old
Sursock Palace is a 160-year-old palace that survived two world wars, the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the French mandate and Lebanese independence.
Destroyed to tatters
The palace was destroyed in the recent Beirut blast that killed more than 160 people and injured 6,000 people. After the country's 1975-1990 civil war, it took 20 years of careful restoration for the family to bring the palace back to its former glory.
History
The Sursock palace, built in 1860 in the heart of historical Beirut on a hill overlooking the now-obliterated port, is home to beautiful works of arts, Ottoman-era furniture, marble and paintings from Italy — collected by three long-lasting generations of the Sursock family.
A party venue
The three-story mansion has been a landmark in Beirut. With its spacious garden, it's been the venue for countless weddings, cocktail parties and receptions over the years, and has been admired by tourists who visit the nearby Sursock museum.
Matter of seconds
“In a split second, everything was destroyed again,” says Roderick Sursock, owner of Beirut's landmark Sursock Palace.
Delicate restoration
The palace is damaged to that extent that it will require a long, expensive and delicate restoration. Experts believe the restoration will be equivalent to rebuilding the house from scratch.
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