Jerusalem Missionary Home Sold for NIS 59 Million

A private company purchased the Bishop's House in central Jerusalem for NIS 59 million on Tuesday. The transaction, equivalent to approximately $18.7 million, marks one of the higher-priced residential sales in the city recently. The buyer has committed to performing extensive preservation and restoration work on the structure.

The property is located at 25 HaNevi'im Street. It sits on a 1,000-square-meter plot of land. The built area covers 630 square meters. The site includes a courtyard and rooftop terraces. A high stone wall surrounds the grounds. The interior features horse stables and grand reception rooms with thick stone walls and vaulted ceilings.

Ronit and Tomer Dowek of Prosperity Real Estate brokered the sale. The total price includes NIS 9 million in value-added tax. The Doweks stated that the building's history influenced the transaction.

“There are properties you sell, and there are properties whose stories you feel privileged to become part of,” Dowek said. “When you stand inside a house built 150 years ago, reflect on the history that unfolded within its walls, and consider the people who lived and worked there, you realize that the significance of the transaction extends far beyond its commercial value.”

The building dates to 1876. The London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews constructed it. It was designed to house representatives of the Anglican mission in Jerusalem. Reverend Arthur Hastings Kelk lived there between 1878 and 1902. He oversaw the Anglican Church's missionary activities in the region.

The estate served different functions in later decades. During World War II, the Phoenicia company operated it as a glass factory. This occurred when Mandatory Palestine faced a shortage of medical laboratory glassware. After the 1948 War of Independence, when Jerusalem was divided, Finnish missionary sisters ran a kindergarten on the site. Jewish owners later acquired the property.

In the 1970s, the family of Robert Maxwell, a publisher and businessman, resided in the house. The rooftop chamber, known as the Prophet's Room, provides views of the Old City, the Temple Mount, and the Judean Desert. The architecture reflects construction methods from the late 19th century.

Luxury housing demand in Jerusalem has increased in recent periods. Some buyers cite fears of rising antisemitism abroad as a factor. Last week, a French Jewish high-tech entrepreneur bought two floors in a Tel Aviv beachfront tower for NIS 119 million. That sum equals roughly $38 million. The market for historic homes remains active.

Dowek also brokered a $21 million sale last year. That transaction involved a hundred-year-old home in Talbieh that was once owned by philosopher Martin Buber. The Bishop's House sale follows a pattern of high-value deals for properties with deep historical roots in the country's central cities.