The Knesset Museum That Almost Didn't Happen

Like the original Mishkan, until it found its current, permanent location the Knesset traveled a bit.

Before 1949, the Knesset met in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Dizengoff House (today Independence Hall), and in the "Kessem" movie house located at Knesset Square. On 26 December 1949, the Knesset moved to Jerusalem, where it held its first meetings in the Jewish Agency's impressive semi-circular building in Rehavia.

In 1950, the Knesset moved to the Froumine (Frumin) House on 24 King George Street in Jerusalem, which was originally supposed to be a bank. It met there from 1950 to 1966, until it finally moved to where the Knesset building is located today, in Givat Ram in Jerusalem.

Here's where the story gets silly.

After 1966, the government used the building to house different government offices.

In 2002, the government sold the building to a private investor for 10 million shekels.

But the government then realized it still needed the building for its government offices, so it began renting the building back from the new owner.

The new owner decided he wanted to tear down the old Knesset building and build a 16-story project on the site. He filed the papers, but the Council for The Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS) protested and the project was halted.

The government then decided to buy the building back from the new owner for 45 million shekel (not a bad investment at all for that private owner).

In 2010, the government completed the repurchase and passed a law that the building and its interior must be preserved.

And now they are turning it into the Knesset Museum.