Beth Sholom Synagogue: Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Religious Architecture. In a suburb just north of Philadelphia stands Beth Sholom Synagogue, Frank Lloyd Wright’s only synagogue and one of his finest religious buildings. This book takes us deep inside the synagogue’s design, construction, and reception to bring us an illuminating portrait of the crowning achievement of this important aspect of Wright’s career. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2007, Beth Sholom was one of Wright’s last completed projects, and for years it has been considered among his greatest masterpieces. But its full story has never been told. “Beth Sholom Synagogue” provides the first in-depth look at the synagogue’s conception and realization in relation to Wright’s other religious architecture. Beginning with Wright’s early career at Adler and Sullivan’s architectural firm in Chicago and his design for Unity Temple and ending with the larger works completed just before or soon after his death, Joseph M. Siry skillfully depicts the architect’s exploration of geometric forms and structural techniques in creating buildings for worshiping communities. Siry also examines Wright’s engagement with his clients, whose priorities stemmed from their denominational identity, and the effect this had on his designs – his client for Beth Sholom, Rabbi Mortimer Cohen, worked with Wright to anchor the building in the traditions of Judaism even as it symbolized the faith’s continuing life in postwar America. With each of his religious projects, Wright considered questions of social history and cultural identity as he advanced his program for an expressive, modern American architecture. His search for a way to combine these agendas culminated in Beth Sholom, where the interplay of light, form, and space create a stunning and inspiring place of worship. Filled with illustrations, this remarkable book takes us deep inside the synagogue’s design, construction, and reception to bring us an illuminating portrait of the crowning achievement of this important aspect of Wright’s career. Siry is professor of art history and American studies at Wesleyan University. He is the author of three books: The Chicago Auditorium Building: Adler and Sullivan’s Architecture and the City and Carson Pirie Scott: Louis Sullivan and the Chicago Department Store, both published by the University of Chicago Press, and Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright and Architecture for Liberal Religion. List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Unitarian Views of Judaism, and Adler and Sullivan’s Synagogues 2 Rev. William Norman Guthrie and Wright’s Steel Cathedral 3 Wright and the Ideal Theater to 1932 4 Annie M. Pfeiffer Chapel at Florida Southern College, 1938-41: Modernist Theology and Regional Identity 5 Community Christian Church, 1939-42 6 First Unitarian Society of Madison, 1945-52 7 Beth Sholom, Rabbi Mortimer Cohen, and Postwar Synagogue Architecture 8 Rabbi Cohen’s Vision and Wright’s Original Design for Beth Sholom Synagogue 9 Beth Sholom Synagogue: Design Development and Construction 10 Reception of Beth Sholom and Its Place in Wright’s Late Work Epilogue Beth Sholom since 1959 Notes Selected Bibliography Index. One of the few authentic scholars in the field of Wright studies, Joseph M. Siry has once again made a major contribution to our understanding of the architect’s ideas and buildings. Set in the context of Wright’s designs for religious architecture, Siry’s brilliant, clear, and thoroughly documented monograph is the definitive work on the magisterial Beth Sholom Synagogue. This beautifully written book is indispensable for our grasp of the architect’s late work. ” -Anthony Alofsin, University of Texas”. Commended for National Jewish Book Award (Visual Arts) 2013. This monumental study significantly broadens our understanding of Wright’s work. The importance of Beth Sholom becomes clear through Siry’s richly detailed, deep analysis that places the building within the context of Wright’s other designs for religious buildings, their diverse sources, and the philosophical beliefs that underlie them. Siry sets a high standard for Wright scholarship. De Long, University of Pennsylvania. Short Title BETH SHOLOM SYNAGOGUE. Publisher University of Chicago Press. Imprint University of Chicago Press. Subtitle Frank Lloyd Wright and Modern Religious Architecture. Place of Publication Chicago, IL. Country of Publication United States. Affiliation Wesleyan University, Connecticut. AU Release Date 2011-12-02. NZ Release Date 2011-12-02. US Release Date 2011-12-02. UK Release Date 2011-12-02. We’ve got this. At The Nile, if you’re looking for it, we’ve got it.
