סמל העיר תל אביב
בבית זה חי ויצר השחקן
מנחם גנסין
אחד משלושת מייסדי התאטרון הלאומי "הבימה" במוסקבה
תרמ"ב-תשי"א 1882-1951

IN THIS HOUSE LIVED & WORKED
THE ACTOR
MENACHEM GNESSIN
ONE OF THE THREE FOUNDERS OF THE "HABIMA" NATIONAL THEATER IN MOSCOW

The sign is on the wall of the house where Menachem Gnessin lived - a theater actor, born in Starodub, Russia (1882-1952), immigrated to Israel in 1903.
After immigrating to Israel, he traveled to Poland and Russia, where he was one of the founders of the "Habima" theater in Moscow.
In 1923 he returned to Israel and was one of the founders of the Eretz Israel Theater. In 1928, when the core of the "Habima" theater in Moscow moved to Israel, he joined it.

The house he lived in was part of the workers’ dormitories, buildings built at the initiative of the Histadrut, built in the international style and inhabited by Histadrut activists and artists. The area was also called the "Habima neighborhood" because of the large number of actors who lived in the area.

Next to this sign is another commemorative plaque for the same actor, which appears to be older than the present one. It reads:
This house was established in 1936, in which lived
Menachem Gnessin
Pioneer of Hebrew theater in Israel
One of the three founders of Habimah Moscow 1917
Director and manager of the Tel Aviv Theater Association 1924
Habima man until his death
Click for a larger image

The following photo taken on the same day shows the location of the sign and the building Click for a larger image

Note that other artists lived in the same building Click for sign's details