Frank Lloyd Wright's Philadelphia synagogue depicts spirituality through modern architecture
Posted By richards on November 28, 2014
Situated in a quiet suburb north of Philadelphia is Beth Sholom - the only synagogue designed by Frank Lloyd Wright during the architect's long and storied career. The building marks an epilogue of sorts: Wright designed the synagogue near the end of his life and died only months before its dedication in 1959.
"Wright was conscious of the fact that he was nearing the end of his life, and it was vital to him to bring to fruition architectural ideas he considered essential. It's no coincidence that during that time he also designed the Guggenheim Museum in New York," says Prof. Joseph Siry, a historian of architecture.
"He dreamed of a building along the lines of Beth Sholom throughout his career. I think that as people get closer to their death they think a great deal about what they're leaving behind."
The synagogue's story is told in Siry's 2011 book "Beth Sholom Synagogue: Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Religious Architecture." It's a thick volume filled with hundreds of pictures and sketches that present Beth Sholom as the climax of Wright's work on religious buildings. Siry also investigates the curious relationship between Wright and Rabbi Mortimer Cohen that spawned the avant-garde design.
The Conservative Jewish community of Beth Sholom was founded in 1919 in Philadelphia's Logan neighborhood. Many members left for the suburbs after World War II, so in 1950 they moved the congregation to the suburb of Elkins Park.
Cohen, who had served as the community's rabbi since its inception, played a key role in designing the new synagogue. He was revolted by the monumental synagogues in American city centers based on kitschy historical styles; he envisioned a synagogue with the look and feel of a modern building. Cohen felt that Wright could combine the modernist language and necessary symbolic expression. The first meeting between the two took place in September 1953, and six months later the plans were submitted to the Beth Sholom board.
By the '50s, Wright was famous around the world. His projects included the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, the Johnson Wax corporate headquarters in Wisconsin, and Fallingwater, a private home in Pennsylvania that became the most famous house designed in the 20th century. Even though Wright had designed several outstanding religious structures, he had never been asked to design a synagogue.
But as the son of a Unitarian priest and a believer, he was raised to respect Judaism. Cohen took part in the planning process and spent endless hours in conversation with Wright.
"I asked Mr. Wright to plan a synagogue, not of yesterday or of today, but of tomorrow. A synagogue that would present the Jewish spirit at its finest," Cohen said at a fundraising event for the building. The two men decided that the building should carry a powerful symbolic message and express American Jewry's modern character.
The image chosen for the synagogue was the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The building is a pyramid (a tetrahedron ) borne atop a low, flat mass. The pyramid is made out of light aluminum, with transparent plastic (formerly glass ) panels.
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Frank Lloyd Wright's Philadelphia synagogue depicts spirituality through modern architecture
