About the project
The Alejandro & Lilly Saltiel Community Center was built in 1980 to serve the East Talpiot neighborhood. The building, which was designed by artist Mathias Goeritz and architects Arthur Spector and Michael Amisar, is a unique sculptural form that stands atop a hill overlooking the neighborhood. The Jerusalem Foundation supported construction of the center and since has supported physical improvements, including furnishings and equipment for the center’s public library, and activities, including programs for pre-schoolers, children, at-risk youth, senior citizens and immigrants. The community center features two works of art: outside the center, stands The Cow Animobile, a playful, bolted steel sculpture by Alexander Calder (1898-1976), renowned for the invention of the mobile. The Cow, with its undulating tail and movable udders, is a cross between a stationary sculpture and a mobile, as its witty name suggests. Inside the center is Hornet’s Nest by American fiber artist Sheila Hicks, who draws on South American, Persian and Indian traditions.
