Beyond the Facade: A Synagogue, A Restoration, A Legacy: The Museum at Eldridge Street

Beyond the Facade: A Synagogue, A Restoration, A Legacy: The Museum at Eldridge Street by Bortniker, Larry. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781857597189.

Only book available about the decline and restoration of this magnificent landmark building, featuring historic and new photography Features stunning photographs of the new stained-glass window by contemporary artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans Beyond the Façade will find a place on the bookshelves of those with Jewish family connections to the Lower East Side in New York, architecture enthusiasts, preservationists and those who appreciate a beautiful site restored as a labor of love where the spirit of the past is preserved and celebrated 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 synagogues main sanctuary was boarded up and left to the elements for decades before a meticulous 25-year restoration, carefully planned to retain the buildings rich history. The decline and rebirth of the synagogue and the new museum it houses are beautifully documented in more than one hundred full color 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 synagogues glorious new stained-glass window by artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans.