Jerusalem is a city of layers, with each era leaving its mark on stone, each neighborhood telling its own story. In the prestigious neighborhood of Talbiyeh, where heritage meets modernity, a new residential project on the corner of Dubnov Street is quietly redefining luxury while honoring the past.
ONE DUBNOV, a visionary development by Yoma Architects, stands at the intersection of conservation and contemporary design, offering a rare opportunity to reside within the living history of Jerusalem.
The Schover Villa
The story of ONE DUBNOV begins with the Schover Villa, one of the most lavish homes built in the years following Israel’s independence. Commissioned in the 1950s by Venezuelan-Jewish industrialist Miles Schover and his wife Gita, the villa was designed by architects from South America and stood out as a modernist gem nestled in the slopes of Talbiyeh.
With its panoramic views toward the Hebron Hills and its walled garden, it embodied a new era of aspiration and architectural ambition in Jerusalem.
Following Miles Schover’s death, the villa and surrounding grounds fell into neglect. Gita’s vision of expanding the estate with a second villa never materialized. The property languished, its garden overgrown, its potential locked behind crumbling walls.
Eventually, the land was sold, destined for a bold new phase. Rather than wiping the slate clean, ONE DUBNOV has made it a mission to revere, restore, and reimagine.
Today, the Schover Villa remains a standalone architectural jewel at the heart of the complex – preserved, integrated, and celebrated. The new development wraps around it, not to overshadow but to frame and highlight. This careful balance between conservation and innovation defines the essence of ONE DUBNOV.
Jerusalem’s Cultural Mile, a concept championed by the city’s legendary mayor Teddy Kollek, is more than a pathway. It’s a civic thread connecting the city’s cultural heartbeat. Extending from the Jerusalem Theatre through Talbiyeh and the Valley of Hinnom, past Jaffa Gate, and culminating at the Tower of David, it links landmark institutions and neighborhoods into a continuous urban narrative.
At the northern end, the Jerusalem Theatre hums with performances and lectures; just steps away, the historic Hansen House, once a leper hospital, now a cultural hub, hosts cutting-edge design and innovation events. As the mile winds southward, it merges with nature in the form of the Valley of Hinnom before arriving at the ancient walls of the Old City.
Located directly along this cultural spine, ONE DUBNOV strengthens that connection. Its architecture opens outward: Traditional fences are replaced by walkways, sculpture gardens, and a grand transparent lobby that draws the public eye. Green spaces are carefully layered along the streetfront, encouraging curiosity and casual interaction. Art isn’t confined to interiors – it spills into the shared spaces, turning the project itself into a kind of curated urban gallery.
To live here is to take part in a larger conversation: with the city’s past, its creative present, and its unfolding future.
Designed by Yoma Architects, under the leadership of Netanel Mayer and designed principally by Hodaya Hadas, the architectural approach to ONE DUBNOV is deeply rooted in both memory and material. The site is treated not as a blank canvas but as a text – something to be read, understood, and respond to. Every elevation, every angle, and every stone was designed with intention.
What ONE DUBNOV stands for
At the heart of ONE DUBNOV stands the Schover Villa, but it is not a museum piece. Instead, it is woven into the living fabric of the project. The surrounding five-story buildings are designed with deference – set back to allow the villa to breathe, yet structurally connected, creating a unified but respectful composition.
Inside, communal areas echo the villa’s aesthetic: clean lines, airy volumes, and subtle references to its modernist DNA. The lobby and shared spaces feature curated displays about the villa’s history, allowing residents to live not just alongside history but within it.
Jerusalem has always blurred boundaries between sacred and secular, public and private. ONE DUBNOV embraces this sensibility by dissolving the line between residence and city. A recessed ground floor creates permeability. Passersby are drawn in by glimpses of a sunken sculpture garden, the soft glint of Jerusalem stone, and works of public art embedded into the pavement.
The pedestrian experience is carefully choreographed. From the sidewalk, one can peer through glass panels into curated green spaces or trace a pathway of native plantings that echo the landscape of the nearby Valley of Hinnom. The building invites curiosity, not separation.
Jerusalem’s terrain is not just a backdrop but a protagonist in ONE DUBNOV’s apartments. The building’s terraced form mirrors the hills, cascading gently down toward the southern slope. Each level opens to sunlight, air, and views. Private terraces bloom with native flora: lavender, sage, olive trees, and Jerusalem pine. Over time, these gardens will mature and blend in with the surrounding landscape, visually dissolving the architecture into nature.
The rooftop gardens, too, are built in a style as if they are their own ecosystem. Designed in collaboration with landscape architects, they include passive cooling features, shaded seating areas, and space for small communal gatherings.
Inside, privacy and community are held in careful tension. Apartments are conceived as “floating villas,” not uniform boxes but individually oriented homes, each with its own relationship to light, landscape, and layout. Shared spaces are arranged around bright atriums with skylights that track the sun throughout the day.
There are no sterile hallways here but sculpted transitions from one realm to another. The materials reflect this intent: honed Jerusalem limestone, brushed bronze, warm wood, and acoustic textures that invite conversation while muting urban noise. The parking areas are designed with attention to detail as well, with soft lighting and floral edges.
Yoma Architects operate in the space where the monumental meets the intimate and where grand gestures and personal moments coexist. The firm draws strength from Jerusalem’s deeply rooted local identity while remaining attuned to its role in the wider cultural landscape.
This sense of duality is embedded in the name itself – Yoma.
In Aramaic, yoma means “the day,” a nod to the cadence of daily life. It reflects the studio’s belief that the extraordinary is often found in the everyday. In Jerusalem, many of Yoma’s clients come from outside of Israel, buying within the domestic property market.
Yoma’s architects are highly attuned to the sensitivities that come with cross-cultural collaboration – often in a language that isn’t native to the client – and see their role as a guide, connecting personal vision with the essence of Jerusalem.
Even when the homes are not full-time residences, their creation leaves a lasting imprint on the city.
Because Jerusalem is a city in constant motion – growing, evolving, and reshaping itself with every new project, every stone added to its story – Yoma believes that architecture is an art deeply rooted in place. Their work offers more than design, connected to enduring values, layered history, and the city’s rich, diverse communities.
ONE DUBNOV is not just a luxury development. It is a vision of how to build in Jerusalem with reverence, beauty, and purpose. It is a tribute to a golden architectural age, a celebration of cultural heritage, and a bold leap into Jerusalem’s residential future.
To live here is to inhabit history – not from a distance but up close.
It is a home that listens, responds, and contributes to the rhythm of the city. In a structure where every stone tells a story, ONE DUBNOV ensures that Jerusalem’s next chapter is written with grace, intelligence, and passion.
