Rue Clemenceau is a commercial and residential street in Beirut, Lebanon. The street was named in honor of Georges Clemenceau who accepted the post of premier of France in 1917 during World War I. The neighborhood straddling Clemenceau Street was prior to the war one of the most cosmopolitan areas of the city and home to Christians, Muslims, Druze and Jews. [1]
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable surface such as concrete, cobblestone or brick. Portions may also be smoothed with asphalt, embedded with rails, or otherwise prepared to accommodate non-pedestrian traffic.
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. No recent population census has been conducted, but 2007 estimates ranged from slightly more than 1 million to 2.2 million as part of Greater Beirut. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, Beirut is the country's largest and main seaport.
Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus is west across the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. At just 10,452 km2, it is the smallest recognized sovereign state on the mainland Asian continent.
The street runs east-west from Avenue Fakhreddine, intersecting several streets, including George Cyr, May Ziadeh, Mexique, Justinien, Nicolas Rebeiz, and Rue John Kennedy where it turns into Bliss Street. Rue Clemenceau is within walking distance to Rue Hamra, Haigazian University, and the American University of Beirut, which is located on Bliss Street.
Rue John Kennedy is a street in Beirut, Lebanon. The street, originally called Rue Perthuis, was renamed in honor of President John F. Kennedy on November 30, 1963. The street, which is located in the Ras Beirut district of the Lebanese capital, is a one-way street that runs east-west from Rue de Phénicie, past Rue Nicolas Rebeiz and Rue Van Dyck, and then curving to the south along the campus walls of the American University of Beirut until it reaches Rue Clémenceau where it ends. It is primarily a residential street with some small hotels.
Bliss Street, or Rue Bliss, is one of the principal streets of the Hamra area, which is within the Ras Beirut District of Beirut in Lebanon. The street, which is parallel to Hamra Street, runs east-west, connecting with Rue Clémenceau on the east and ending at Avenue General Charles de Gaulle that runs along the coast of the Mediterranean. The street is named after Dr. Daniel Bliss, an American missionary who founded the American University of Beirut. Prior to the mid-1960s, the tram passed along Bliss Street and stopped in front of AUB's Main Gate.
Haigazian University is a higher education institution founded in 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon as Haigazian College. For a brief period starting 1992, name was changed to Haigazian University College before adopting the present name in 1996. It offers programs leading to Bachelor's degrees in the Arts and Sciences as well as Business Administration and Economics, in addition to Master's degrees in the Arts, Sciences and Business Administration. English is the main language of instruction, although some courses are offered in Armenian and Arabic. All degrees from Haigazian are recognized by the Lebanese government and the Association of International Colleges and Universities. It is supported by the Armenian Evangelical community, and was established primarily to meet the needs of the large Lebanese-Armenian population. However, the university is open to all students, regardless of race, nationality, or creed, and has professors and student body from all sections of Lebanese society.
Rue Clemenceau is known for its numerous medical institutes, such as the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon, and the Clemenceau Medical Center, which is an affiliate of Johns Hopkins Medicine International. The Ecole Supérieure des Affaires is also located on Clemenceau and the Collége de la sagesse section saint Elie which is one of the best catholic schools in the country. Also located on Rue Clemenceau is the 55,000 square-meter, business complex, Centre Gefinor, which was designed in the late 1960s by Dr. ETH Ing. Walid Jabri, the architect and structural engineer. Victor Gruen, an Austrian architect, designed the complete commercial area on the ground floor and the mezzanine, after completion of the skeleton. [2]
The Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) is a non-profit medical institution dedicated to the comprehensive treatment of pediatric cancer. The center is affiliated with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, founded by Lebanese U.S. comedian and actor Danny Thomas. He had a dream to open a similar medical institute in his ancestral home of Lebanon. Danny Thomas's children Marlo and Tony Thomas pursued his dream. Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon was established under Notice no. 138AD with the affiliation of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the efforts of the founders Nasser Chammaa, Nabil Harfouche, the late Pierre Bou Khater, the late Naoum Khattar, and Joseph Asseily.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million by city merchant, banker/financier, civic leader and philanthropist Johns Hopkins (1795-1873). Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the founding institutions of modern American medicine and the birthplace of numerous famous medical traditions including rounds, residents and house staff. Many medical specialties were formed at the hospital including neurosurgery, by Dr. Harvey Cushing; cardiac surgery by Dr. Alfred Blalock; and child psychiatry, by Dr. Leo Kanner.
