Temple Beth Zion

After the Period of Significance

Over the years, the Temple Beth Zion building has undergone relatively few changes to its exterior and interior. In 2004, the Buffalo architectural firm of HHL prepared a plan to remodel the ground floor of the religious school, which was completed in 2005. The overall plan and layout of this area remained intact, but the corridor running the length of the building was transformed into an art gallery for the display of a collection of paintings, drawings, reliefs, and photographs. These include eight color lithographs of the Dreyfus Affair by Ben Shahn and small plaster reliefs replicating prophets from John Singer Sargent’s Triumph of Religion murals in the Boston Public Library. (These were apparently retrieved from the fire that destroyed the former synagogue.) In its new iteration, the appearance of the corridor was considerably upgraded: smooth, off-white plaster panels covered the former utilitarian cinderblock walls; a shallow vaulted ceiling replaced the earlier prosaic flat drop ceiling; and lighting appropriate to the display of artwork was introduced.

The most significant change was the creation of a secondary lobby about mid-way along the corridor between the sanctuary and chapel by removing earlier office walls and adding tall plate glass windows (and a door) on the north side overlooking the lawn between the sanctuary and chapel. For this new lobby space, the architects designed four tall glass cabinets for the display of objects from the Cofield Collection. “Located in this new lobby space,” runs a contemporary description, “and in clear view along the newly vaulted corridor, these elegantly detailed cabinets are light, transparent, and virtually free-standing units within the space. . . . In addition, the cabinets are set at different angles and create distinct objects that not only house a beautiful collection but are themselves beautiful objects within the lobby.” (Brian Carter, “A Late-Modern Temple Gallery,” Faith & Form: The Interfaith Journal on Religion, Art and Architecture, 2, November 2011, 18-19.) This new lobby also contains seating and a glass-enclosed area for informal meetings. Also at this time, two former offices that occupied the rooms at either side of the southern end of the corridor were transformed into restrooms. The repurposing, however, preserved the rooms’ original wood wainscoting.

The 2005 remodeling of the religious school portion of Temple Beth Zion left the second floor less changed than the ground floor. Here, the southern section of the corridor is virtually unchanged from 1967, with the cinderblock walls still visible. The former classrooms, however, have been transformed into offices. The corridor on the northern portion was reduced in size and the configuration of the classrooms changed to accommodate more office space. This floor is rented to a non-profit organization and is no longer used for its original educational purpose.

In 2005, the renewal of the sanctuary was undertaken under the supervision of HHL Architects, with the well- known restoration architect Theodore Lownie in charge. Under Lownie’s guidance, the renewal proceeded with great respect for the original interior. Work included refinishing the wooden pews, changing the heating system, and introducing a new sound system. (The original speakers still exist in the lights suspended from the ceiling, but they are no longer used.)

In 2011, the original wooden pews were removed from the Sisterhood Chapel and replaced by moveable seating. Projection screens were also added at that time to either side of the bimah area, and inconspicuous light fixtures were installed on the mullions of the north and south walls. In 2014, the Golden Friendship Garden was created in the southeast area of the chapel, between the chapel and the religious school building. It is entered from a doorway in the south side of the hyphen joining these two spaces. The garden, which commemorates Nancy Golden (1925-2014), a former member of the congregation, houses a colorful mixed media sculpture by Pam Golden entitled Tree of Life.

Despite these alterations, the Temple Beth Zion remains highly intact to Abramovitz’s design and concept. The key public spaces of the sanctuary, chapel and auditorium remain largely intact. These small updates are reflective of the continued use of the synagogue by the congregation.

Summary

Temple Beth Zion in Buffalo is an outstanding example of mid-twentieth century modern architecture designed by the nationally prominent architect Max Abramovitz (1908-2004) at the peak of his career. The temple was one of several important synagogues designed by well-known architects in the postwar period. The congregation interviewed the architects of many of these buildings before they decided to award the commission to Abramovitz. Buffalo’s Temple Beth Zion was the architect’s most important example of this building type, the history and design of which had been field of special inquiry for him.

Other important works with which Abramovitz was associated, notably the United Nations Headquarters (1953) and Philharmonic Hall (1962; the present David Geffen Hall), both in New York City, were landmark statements of the International Style. For Temple Beth Zion, he turned to the antirational aesthetic of Neo-Expressionism, pioneered by Le Corbusier with his 1955 chapel of Notre-Dame-du Haut at Ronchamp, France. Temple Beth Zion is also distinguished by its exceptional artwork by famous American painter Ben Shahn (1898-1969), including Shahn’s only example of stained glass design. The large scale and vibrant abstract motifs of the two dominant windows, together with the artist’s Ten Commandments pylons, which dominate the sanctuary, add special drama to the stunning oval interior that the architect surrounded with undulating walls of exposed concrete and lit with concealed skylights. Temple Beth Zion represents one of the significant architect-artist collaborations in American architecture of the recent past. When opened it in 1967, it added an outstanding example of Modernism to Buffalo’s heritage of notable architecture.

Bibliography:

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NOT REPRINTED: VISUALS (MAPS, PHOTOS, DRAWINGS)