קולנוע והעיר

The Sharon Cinema was built in the 1950s near Zion Square, reflecting Netanya’s transformation from a small settlement into a city. As commercial, cultural, and entertainment activities shifted away from the historic city center, both the area and the cinema gradually declined, until the building was eventually closed and abandoned. Nevertheless, the building remained part of the collective memory of the city's residents. The project seeks to restore the role of Sharon Cinema and Zion Square as central elements of urban life through an urban campus that combines academic facilities with public functions serving the local community. Just as the cinema once symbolized Netanya’s transformation from a settlement into a city, it now becomes an anchor for the revitalization of its historic center. The auditorium is reactivated at the heart of the complex, the stage tower connects the old and the new, and the historic facade becomes a defining edge of Zion Square and an integral part of the public realm. By bringing a younger population and activity throughout the day and evening back into the city center, the campus strengthens the sequence of public squares along Herzl Street, connecting the coastal highway to the sea.