New York based architecture firm Studio ST Architects has completed the renovation project of the Skokie Valley Synagogue, located in the Chicago area. The sanctuary, built in 1963, was transformed from a dark and formal space to an ethereal, light-filled and ADA accessible room for communal prayer. The original room was a long, dark hall with dim lighting and fixed theater-type seating. The renovation converted the large stage into new, modern bathrooms and a coat room.
The central sanctuary was rearranged. The Chazan, who led the prayers, was seated in front of a big triangular skylight that was placed in the room’s middle. The antique candelabra chandeliers were taken down, and the vertical windows were replaced with clear glass. The old building’s angled roof geometry was washed by the installation of new simple LED linear cove uplights, which provided the room with indirect lighting. The area was brightened while still honoring its history by applying a coat of white lime wash to the tan brick walls.
“The space was originally very formal, dark and austere,” says Esther Sperber, founder of award-winning, woman-owned architecture firm, Studio ST Architects. “Our goal was to brighten and modernize the Skokie Valley Synagogue, organizing the spaces so that the prayer leader is in the center and closer to the congregation. The result is a beautiful, contemporary sanctuary which creates a sense of communal intimacy while paying reverence to the synagogue’s past.”
Fixed seats were replaced by movable chairs, which changed the direction of prayer’s attention to Jerusalem in the east. The more adaptable chairs also bring the congregation closer to the ark and bimah, the reading table from which the prayer service and Torah reading are led.
The ark, which houses the holy Torah scrolls, serves as the centerpiece of the sanctuary. The concept of the “broken vessels” in Kabbalistic philosophy, which represents our responsibility as humans to mend the world, served as the inspiration for the ark’s asymmetrical shape. The ark and bimah’s designs, which are joined by a new raised platform that is ADA accessible, also take into account the building’s geometry and construction. The mobile bimah can be modified to meet ADA requirements and can accommodate a range of users.
The glass mechitzah panels (partitions) that separate the men’s and women’s sections while allowing both sides to view the service are a design feature to note. The full Friday night service is engraved onto the glass, forming a pattern of translucent Hebrew letter shapes. The community and the architect shared a dedication to designing a place that embodies moral and aesthetic principles. The objective was to design a modern, welcoming environment where worshippers might engage in both group prayer and more private, intimate spiritual experiences.
