On Alexandria’s Fouad Street, some have a longing for the elegant past

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Reuters) – Along Fouad Street, a Costa coffee shop near old buildings with Italian and French architecture reminds Egyptians that commercial ventures threaten to erase traces of Alexandria’s aristocratic past.

*A woman gets into a yellow and black cab in front of L-Passage food hall on Fouad street in Alexandria, Egypt, February 23, 2016. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih*

CEO Laithy Mekawy was influenced by the three years he spent as an architect in Istanbul, where he observed the restoration of historic buildings. He turned a television company on the ground floor of the old Société Immobiliére building, an 1928 Neo-Renaissance structure, into “L Passage”, a food and cafes court with well known brands.

“I’ve always loved walking on a Friday morning on Fouad street,” Laithy said, describing the weekend day in predominantly Muslim Egypt. The beauty of the old architectural buildings, the opera house and the arts center have kept its beauty for years.”

*People sit at a cafe in L passage, a food and cafe court in the old Societe Immobiliere building, on Fouad street in Alexandria, Egypt, February 6, 2016. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih*

CHECK THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE