Synagogue Architecture in the Recent Past and Present

Abstract

Frank Lloyd Wright’s spectacular design for the Beth Sholom Temple in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania (1957), whose form resembles a glazed ark, heralded a greater awareness of modern synagogue architecture outside of Jewish circles. However, with the exception of its sculptural form, a late echo of the crystalline expressionism of Bruno Taut, it offered few new impulses for synagogue architecture. Like many synagogue spaces designed for the reformed ritual, the central prayer hall, which lacked a women’s gallery, could have served equally well for Christian rituals (Fig. 1). Nevertheless, the prominence achieved by Wright’s building encouraged other Jewish congregations to build symbolic synagogues, paving the way for others such as Percival Goodman, perhaps the most prolific synagogue architect of the 20th century.