Our firm renovated Temple Beth El, originally designed by the renowned twentieth-century architect Louis I. Kahn. We preserved Kahn’s building, giving careful attention to its wood-clad Sanctuary, and added a new structure with six classrooms, a large library, a social hall, a pre-function room, and a kitchen. One of the design challenges was to clarify the entrance sequence to Kahn’s building, where the two original separate entrances posed contemporary security challenges. A new light-filled lobby now connects the synagogue with the new addition and features large windows with expansive views of the lush natural landscape in Chappaqua, New York. The synagogue’s religious school is housed in the renovated classrooms of the original structure.
The project won a Design Citation Award from the American Institute of Architects’ Westchester + Hudson Valley Chapter in 2015.