Landmark 19th Century Sursock Palace Destroyed From Beirut Explosion

The house in Beirut’s Christian quarter of Achrafieh is listed as a cultural heritage site, but Sursock said only the army has come to assess the damage in the neighborhood.

So far, he’s had no luck reaching the culture ministry.

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The palace is so damaged that it will require a long, expensive and delicate restoration, “as if rebuilding the house from scratch”, Sursock says.

Sursock has moved to a nearby pavilion in the palace gardens, but this has been his home for many years alongside his American wife, his 18-year-old daughter and his mother, Yvonne.

He says the 98-year-old Lady Cochrane (born Sursock) had courageously stayed in Beirut during the 15 years of the civil war to defend the palace.

His wife was just dismissed from hospital, as the blast was so powerful that the wave affected her lungs.

Sursock says there is no point in restoring the house now — at least not until the country fixes its political problems.

Read also: Protests in Lebanon as Public Anger Over Beirut Explosion Unfolds

“We need a total change, the country is run by a gang of corrupt people,” he said angrily.

Despite his pain and the damage from last week's blast, Sursock, who was born in Ireland, says he will stay in Lebanon, where he has lived his whole life and which he calls home.

But he desperately hopes for change.

"I hope there is going to be violence and revolution because something needs to break, we need to move on, we cannot stay as we are.” 

(Writer: Andrea Rosa) 

Source: https://apnews.com/4a6585777f30ede713704719defd9557