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(A zecher lechurban here refers to the part of a house that is intentionally left unfinished to commemorate the Temple's destruction.)

In an apartment building, does there have to be a zecher lechurban in each apartment, or can a space in the lobby exempt the dwelling spaces inside? Perhaps a spot in a single apartment suffices for the entire building?

I know that leaving a zecher is a mitzvah for the builder (or building), not the resident (i heard this in a shiur recently), so a person who buys a house without a spot does not have to remove a tile to make one. However, the case of an apartment building with several living spaces is not clear to me: Is the entire complex considered as one, or do we view each apartment separately?

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    Interesting. The wording of the SA סימן תקס - לעשות זכר לחרבן makes it seems like it could apply to the entire complex. toratemetfreeware.com/online/… - BTW - the last sentence is only true if a non-Jew built it - see be'er heitev ibid ואם ידוע שנעשה ביד ישראל באיסור חייב לקלפו
    – Danny Schoemann
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 11:35
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    I believe there is a view (not widely accepted) that every room should have one.
    – Loewian
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 14:53
  • @Loewian Yet most accept that understanding of בית as regards Mezuzah.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 15:39
  • @DoubleAA safek d'oraissa l'chumra?
    – Loewian
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 16:11
  • The practice I have consistently observed in Israel in apartment buildings is that each person places a zecher in their own apartment. I have never seen a building, even in haredi neighborhoods, do a building-wide one.
    – Popular Isn't Right
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 20:53

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