Beirut’s sore thumb is 30

Thirty years ago, the Murr Tower was a metaphor for promise-filled Lebanon. The brothers’ dream was to build, through their construction company La Liberal, Beirut’s first mixed use development, symbolizing the capital’s position as the region’s leading business and banking hub. The 40-storey giant was to host 34 floors of some 300m2 offices, 2,500 m2 of shopping space and a restaurant on top, which could be reached by an exterior panoramic elevator or helicopter. The building’s four underground floors were reserved for a 500-seat-cinema and 600 parking places. The total cost of Murr Tower, including the price of land, amounted to some $15 million. “I was against the whole design from the start,” says Gabriel Murr, sitting in his offices in the old MTV building. “I favored a wider, 20-storey building,” he added. “I thought the [300m2] offices were too small for foreign companies, the vertical circulation was insufficient and