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Born in Vienna in 1898, Hoffmann immigrated to Israel in 1936 after completing his studies in architecture at the Vienna Technical College. He was appointed Assistant Chief Architect, Department of Public Works in Jerusalem in 1943, where he was in charge of designing police stations, and in 1946 prepared the preliminary plan for Jerusalem's Beit Ha'am (today the Gerard Behar Center). However, Hoffmann is best remembered for his design of Beit Kedima in Jerusalem's Rehavia neighborhood, a structure in the International (Bauhaus) style that includes traditional Jerusalem motifs such as archways and external staircases. The building housed the UNSCOP committee appointed by the UN to formulate the recommendations accepted by the UN Plenum on November 29th 1947, which laid the foundation for the establishment of the State of Israel. The building was named a Jerusalem Heritage site and still can be seen today. Hoffmann died in 1974. The archive was given the Library by his widow, Katrina Hoffmann, in 1984. The archive contains personal certificates and biographical material, photographs, construction projects in various places, plans, reports, accounts and more. קראו עוד