La Maison Rose is one of the oldest mansions in Ras Beirut that was built in the 19th century overlooking the lighthouse in Manara. Back in 2014, British artist Tom Young, who fell in love with the house, was offered a studio space over the summer by the owner and later on decided to turn the mansion into an exhibition venue and open it to the public.
“La Maison Rose” opened last year from November 19 till the end of December where 40 paintings were exhibited, “evoking the dreamlike nature of the house, and the dramatic contrasts at play in Beirut.” This was the first time that the Rose House opened to the public.
Unfortunately though, the mansion has long been abandoned and forgotten and even though its owner Hisham Jaroudi has promised to “keep and restore the Pink House for his children and the children of their children”, he’s claiming that he needs to settle a lawsuit before proceeding with the restoration, and that there are individuals infiltrating the house at night stealing and causing further damage.
I don’t have further info on this lawsuit and what’s happening, but something needs to be done quickly before parts of the house start crumbling and we lose it forever. You can read more about this story [here].
This house is a hidden gem and should be on the city’s cultural map given its history and its architecture. Let’s hope they manage to save it before it’s too late.
Here’s an old picture of the house from 1960:
