Beth El
Synagogue
Phase 1
Development
Since 1989, RDG has been involved in three phases of construction for the Beth El Community. RDG associated with the firm of Notter, Finegold + Alexander of Boston for the Phase I development of a new facility.
The completed 35,000-square-foot building includes a 480-seat sanctuary, expandable to 780 seats; meeting rooms and administrative offices; a chapel; a 350-person-capacity social hall; and support spaces. The building has a number of special features that express both the needs and aspirations of the congregation. The exterior recalls the form of antecedents in Jewish architecture, including the multi-tiered wooden synagogues of eastern Europe and the arches and colors of Jerusalem. The sanctuary itself provides a soaring space at once inspiring and intimate, even when expanded through a ring of meeting-room modules on the perimeter. RDG staff developed the preliminary program for the building and established the concept of an articulated, village-like cluster of structures.