Preface
The continued existence of any building largely depends on its capacity to continue to be useful, either in its originally intended purpose, or in some important new way. In this respect, houses of worship are like any other buildings. Unlike many buildings designed for secular use, however, they present special problems to people wishing to preserve them. For example, the unique configuration of space essential for the successful enactment of liturgy may be an impediment to its conversion to serve other useful functions. In addition, out of a sense of propriety for its "other worldliness," some people are reluctant to see a sacred space used for secular purposes, sometimes even preferring to see it torn down.
One of the least controversial and most successful ways for a redundant sacred building to continue to be used is to be passed on to a congregation of a different faith. Other notable uses that may optimize the spatial configuration of some houses of worship include adaptive reuse as a museum, place of assembly (e.g., use as a theater), and a variety of secular uses completely unrelated to the original purpose of the building (e.g., conversion to restaurants, nightclubs, condominiums, and apartments).
This monograph focuses on the adaptive reuse of a former temple into a multi-purpose facility known as the Civic. The Civic is a large and imposing Byzantine-style building located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Originally the temple for the Conservative Jewish congregation B'nai Jeshurun, it was known informally as the Temple on the Heights. The temple was dedicated in 1926, 60 years after the congregation was organized and began its existence in quarters elsewhere in Cleveland. By the 1950s, the congregation had grown to about 2,000 families and was one of the largest Conservative congregations in the country. Nevertheless, continued movement of the Jewish community toward the eastern part of the county led to a decline in Temple membership in the 1960s and 1970s. A gift of 30 acres of land in Pepper Pike, Ohio, a suburb several miles to the east, resulted in the congregation's choosing that site for the building of its new temple, which was dedicated in 1980.
The new building in Pepper Pike left the old one available for some type of adaptive reuse, and the former Temple on the Heights is now one of the few examples in northeastern Ohio of a sacred structure leading a new life in the secular world.
This monograph describes in detail the (thus far) successful efforts to preserve this beautiful and important landmark building. This first-hand account of the challenges and opportunities involved in the efforts to save the building in a creative and useful way is not only an important story in itself, but also provides a useful overview and guideline to others who are considering or are engaged in related projects to preserve landmark buildings.
The former Temple was preserved because community-minded business people were interested finding a new way for it to continue serving the City of Cleveland Heights. While the return on investment is not impressive in strictly financial terms, the Civic's continuing architectural and historical presence, as well as its continuing service to the community, is an important dividend for the investors. A message that is implicit in their dedicated efforts is that a cultured society does not demolish its sacred landmarks and artworks; it sees them as treasures and preserves them.
Michael J. Tevesz, Director
Sacred Landmarks Initiative
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs
October 17, 2000