Cooling and Egg Storage Facility, Moshav Herut
Year of Construction: 1940
Location: Moshav Herut
Architectural Style: Barrel-vaulted roof rooms
Building Materials: Brick
During World War II, a cold storage facility was established in Moshav Herut to supply agricultural products to the local market. Today, the building serves as a general-purpose warehouse.
One of the primary agricultural branches in the early years of the moshav was potato cultivation. To regulate marketing and avoid pressure from market demands and timing, a cooling facility was built based on the contemporary model: a structure with double-brick walls for insulation, suspended cooling units located beneath a vaulted roof, and thick entrance doors. Cooling occasionally failed, or market demand fell short of supply, resulting in severe stench from the rotting produce. During summer months, the facility was used to store seasonal fruits - plums and apples - which were then distributed ahead of the holidays.
One wing of the building housed the local dairy, which had been relocated from its original shed. Milk from member farms was collected there before being transported to the city. Refrigeration systems were installed to maintain low temperatures and prevent souring of the milk before it was dispatched in large, heavy metal containers.
When the dairy was relocated to a different building, the facility was converted into an egg sorting and storage center. As poultry farming later declined, the structure was repurposed once again - this time into an artisanal bookbindery.