by C-Lab

'The solution we are presenting constitutes something new and interesting for Lebanon.

Our project will equip Tripoli with a modern and state of the art city quarter,with residential, commercial, athletic, leisure and tourist centers, the last two extending towards the sea, as the proper continuation of the Fairgrounds, with hotels, cinemas, theaters, art exhibitions, night clubs etc., this ensemble was conceived at the scale of the future expansion of the city.

Within this urban ensemble, the Fairgrounds represent the principal element and will become for Tripoli, a center of attraction, of cultural interest, artistically and recreationally of the greatest importance with its theaters, museums, athletic and leisure centers.'

-Oscar Niemeyer, Architect, 1962

'A tourist village destined to accommodate millions of visitors a year, based on the model for Disneyland. The program will be comprised of 60,000 meters sq. meters of exhibition space, 200,000 sq. meters of leisure and recreation space, a a 170,000 sq. meter nautical center with pools, three international hotels, a 'model Lebanese village' constructed on axis with the Lebanese Pavilion of Niemeyer which will include artisan shops, additional commercial and restaurant spaces, all of which will be connected by a "tourist" train.'

- Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Tripoli and North Lebanon, 2005

‘It is hoped that this listing may serve as a reminder that as Lebanon steadily mends its war-torn landscape, room should be made for sites of architectural importance of the recent as well as the distant past.’

-World Monuments Fund, Listing of the 100 Most Endangered Sites of 2006

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Property ID Unknown
Type International and Permanent Fairgrounds
Location Tripoli, Lebanon
Commissioned 1962
Construction 1968-1974
Completion Pending
Status Modern ruin
Architect Oscar Niemeyer, C. A. Camargo (collaborator), G. L. Dimanche (model maker)
Area 64 000 m2
Type Lebanese National Pavilion (1), Experimental Theater (1), Children’s Museum (1), Heliport (1), Space Museum (1), Open Air Theater (1), Elevated Panoramic Restaurant (1), Experimental Communal Housing (1), Museum of Dwelling (1), International Pavilions (40), Hotel (1), Monumental Arch (1)
Price Not Available
Provenance 962-1975 Lebanese National Government
1975-1990 Syrian military occupation
1990-1994 unknown
1994-Tripoli Municipal Government / Administrative Council of the Fairgrounds
1997 opened as Public Park
2004-2006 Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Tripoli and North Lebanon
Contact World Monuments Fund, 95 Madison Avenue, 9th floor New York, New York 10016,
tel +1 (646) 424 9594, fax +1 (646) 424 9593, http://www.wmf.org