Under the name the “American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine,” the organization was born.

ASOR’s first presence overseas is established in 1900 in Jerusalem, with Charles C. Torrey, an Old Testament scholar at Yale University, serving as director for that year. Torrey, supported by the U.S. consul in Jerusalem Selah Merrill, establishes ASOR’s initial headquarters in a large room in the Grand New Hotel inside the Jaffa Gate area.

Image: Doorway of house at 6 Ethiopia Street, Jaffa