Pine Residence
| Pine Residence | |
|---|---|
| Native name قصر الصنوبر (Arabic) | |
The Pine Residence in 1918 | |
| Location | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Coordinates | 33°52′38″N 35°30′30″E / 33.877201°N 35.508428°E |
| Built | 1916 |
| Built for | Azmi Bey, Wali of Beirut, Alfred Moussa Sursock |
| Architect | Bahjat Abdel Nour |
| Architectural style | Neo-Mauresque |
| Governing body | French Embassy in Beirut |
Location of Pine Residence in Beirut Pine Residence (Lebanon) | |
The Pine Residence (Arabic: قصر الصنوبر, Qasr al-snawbar, literally "the palace of the Pines"), is the official residence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, situated in Beirut’s Horsh district. The residence is of notable historical significance, as it was from its porch that General Henri Gouraud proclaimed the establishment of the State of Greater Lebanon on 1 September 1920.
Originally constructed in 1916 by Alfred Moussa Sursock as part of a larger leisure complex, the building was repurposed during World War I as a military hospital before becoming the seat of the French High Commissioners under the Mandate. Following Lebanese independence in 1943, it was designated the ambassador’s residence, a role it has retained despite periods of abandonment during the Lebanese Civil War. Extensively damaged and later restored in the 1990s, the Pine Residence today serves both as a diplomatic residence and a historic monument recognized by the Lebanese Directorate General of Antiquities.