Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 13, 2017

Update 7/12/17: The article was updated to clarify the resolution the commissionersvoted on yesterday afternoon.

On TuesdaytheLandmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) debated how topreserve a Manhattansynagogue guttedby fire earlier this year. Instead of approvingthe owners request to demolish the building entirely, the commission agreed that important parts of the structure should be salvaged, where possible.

The building in question is the Beth Hamerdash Hagodol, at 60 Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side. The modified Gothic Revivalstyle structure was built in 1850 as a Baptist church and converted to a synagogue in 1885. Home to a Russian Jewish Orthodox congregation for more than a century but vacant since 2007, it was one of the first structures added to New Yorks landmark list, in 1967.

Beth Hamerdash Hagodol interior after the fire. (Courtesy HLZA/ Image via LPC)

In May,the building was destroyed by ablaze that was later characterized as arson; its missing its roof and most of the interior is filled with rubble.Given the extensive damage, the hearing focused on whether the building hasenough integrity to remain an individual landmark, and if so, how its structure should be preserved.

Plan view. (Courtesy HLZA / Image via LPC)

In testimony to the commission, Bryan Chester, an engineer fromHoward L. Zimmerman Architects, detailedthe shuls precarious structural integrity. The wooden roof trusses are beyond repair, while the masonry bearing walls are unstable and severely deteriorated. Of the two towers that flanked the main (west) entrance, the northern one is in bad shape, but the south and east facades, thoughunstable, are in slightly better condition.The building had no fire insurance, and the extent of the damages put restoration out of the questionany materials above the window sills would probably be unsalvageable, Chester said.

Areas in red were deemed beyond repair, though the south and east facades could be saved in some form. (Courtesy HLZA/ Image via LPC)

On the whole, those who testified before the commission advocated against demolition and for preservation in some form.

Simeon Bankoff, executive director of preservation group Historic Districts Council, said the group strenuously objects to demolition, while noting that the owners negligence over the years shouldnt be rewarded with a tear-down. The synagogue is on a prime lot on theLower East Side, a districtthat by some measures is one of Manhattans mostgentrified.

Speaking for Friends of the Lower East Side, a group that preserves the architectural and cultural heritage of the neighborhood, Joyce Mendelsohn said the group was in total opposition to demolition. Andrea Goldman of the New York Landmarks Conservancy agreed, noting that years before the fire, the preservation advocacy group had worked with the congregation to come up with an action plan for the building, whichwas in poor repair. (Right before the blaze, the synagogue had almost reached a deal with the Chinese American Planning Council, a nonprofit that owns two neighboring sites, to restore the buildingand erect affordable housing.)

Considering the state of the structure, demolition seemed a done deal, but the LPC commissioners were hesitant to okay the applicants request in light of the buildings cultural significance. Scaffolding surrounds the ruins; right now, theres little danger the remaining structure could topple, but Chester said that in a few more months the situation could be more dangerous.

So what could be salvaged, and how should the buildings heritagehonored?

Landmarks hired engineers at Superstructuresto independently evaluate the site. The firm concurred with the Zimmerman team that the south and east facades, though unstable, were repairable. The demolition team would deploy tall machines to take the synagogue apart from the top down, a process Chester likened to dinosaurs chomping on trees. But commissioners had questions: What if the crew destroys more of the remains than necessary? What if the building could be preserved and appreciated like Roman or Mayan ruins, or the Carmo Convent in Lisbon?

Im unconvinced of the absolute necessity for demolition, said Commissioner Michael Devonshire, even when taking into account the buildings unstable walls. Fellow Commissioner Frederick Bland added that the group needed to see whats left and re-assess after the structure has been stabilized.

At the meeting, the commissioners decided to preserve, where feasible, the buildings most important elements, but did not vote up/down on the owners demolition bid. Instead, LPC general council Mark Silberman was asked to draft a resolution on the project that modified the owners request. The resolution states that parts of the building need to be removed for safety reasons, especially around the north, south, and west facades, while retainingas much material as possible, with significant architectural featuressalvaged. The whole process will be overseen on-site by the LPCs engineers. Itwasapproved yesterday afternoon.

Edward Gunts contributed reporting.

Visit link:

Landmarks approves partial demolition of LES synagogue ... - The Architect's Newspaper

Category: Synagogue
Tags: