Beyond the Façade

Beyond the Façade chronicles the award-winning restoration and renewal of the Eldridge Street Synagogue. Spiritual home to immigrant Jews and their descendants since it opened in 1887, the synagogue’s main sanctuary was boarded up and left to the elements for decades before a meticulous 25-year restoration, carefully planned to retain the building’s rich history. The decline and rebirth of the synagogue and the new museum it houses are beautifully documented in more than 100 full-colour photographs with text by writer Larry Bortniker. Roberta Brandes Gratz, an early leader in efforts to preserve the Eldridge Street Synagogue, offers her perspective as a preservationist and urban critic. Beyond the Façade also features stunning photographs of the synagogue’s glorious new stained-glass window by artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans.