Deerfield, Il – Finegold Alexander + Associates, Inc. (Finegold Alexander) of Boston Mass., a leading national architecture firm with a foundation in adaptive reuse, is pleased to announce that it has completed a $14 million synagogue project for Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim (BJBE) in Deerfield, Illinois. The project involved converting a series of under-used 1970s office buildings into a modern religious center to support the needs of BJBE’s growing congregation.
B’nai Jehoshua was founded in 1893 by Bohemian and Czechoslovakian Jews, and the synagogue was originally located in Chicago. Several decades later, a group of families created a Reform Synagogue in the Des Plaines-Morton Grove-Glenview area called Beth Elohim. In 1965, the two synagogues merged and Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim was established, located in Glenview.
Following the migration of some of its congregants to Deerfield and the surrounding communities, the Congregation elected to purchase three buildings in a six building, one-story office park to convert into its new religious center. Choosing this location offered several benefits, including favorable zoning and existing infrastructure, like parking and mature landscaping already in place. Despite the challenging conditions of the financial markets, Finegold Alexander outlined a cost-effective strategy that allowed the design team to build out the project in phases. In doing so, BJBE was able to move its members from the facility it had outgrown in Glenview and into the new space as planned. Phase two, which includes renovations to the third building, is scheduled to begin in January 2013.
The complex consists of approximately 71,380 square feet of worship and community space, including a sanctuary, chapel, social hall, youth lounge and education center with 21 classrooms and five pre-K classrooms. Through a mixture of renovation and reconstruction, Finegold Alexander adapted the existing structures to create a synagogue that reflected the philosophy of BJBE’s leadership and membership, with features that include a large landscaped courtyard and a community court, expanded here as a ‘village center’, a multi-functional gathering and activity space. The team considered the significance of color in its final design, choosing stone, fabrics, and liturgical art that reflect the colors, textures and shapes of the seven species of Israel that are described in the Bible.
“As we were explaining to Finegold Alexander how we envisioned the project, all we could offer them were words,” said Dr. Marc Swatez, executive director of Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim. “We are in awe of the way that the design team has been able to take our words and translate them into more than we ever expected in an architectural space.”
The spaces themselves are designed to accommodate a wide range of audience sizes. The sanctuary, one of the new high volume spaces, seats 613, and is shaped to allow for smaller gatherings. The social hall has a capacity of up to 1,200 and is divisible into four rooms for family dinners, meetings, or worship. The chapel seats 100 in a loose configuration, while a contemplation room, an ellipse enclosed by vertical glass channels, sits within a memorial alcove.
“We approached this project with the desire to transform a utilitarian set of buildings into sacred, yet functional space that addressed the various needs of a highly active congregation,” said Maurice N. Finegold, FAIA, principal at Finegold Alexander. “The people of Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim represent a vibrant community, and the design of the new synagogue reflects both the sacredness with which they remember the past and their aspirations for the future.”
About Finegold Alexander + Associates, Inc.
Sharing a collective sense of what is possible, the firm designs projects that exceed client expectations, are environmentally responsible and are integrated into their context. A basic tenant is that good design is the result of an interactive and iterative process involving all stakeholders. Rooted in Boston, the historic environment inspired Finegold Alexander’s leadership role in historic preservation and adaptive use while shaping its thoughtful and innovative design philosophy. For more information, visit http://www.faainc.com.
