Goodbye to the Main Temple

The building at The Temple's  building at The Temple's main campus known as "the main temple," was sold to Case Western Reserve, a nearby university, a few years ago. Milton Maltz, who once was a trustee with The Temple, negotiated the sale. The Temple, officially known as Temple Tifereth Israel, has use of the main sanctuary on holidays. I think this agreement is good for about fifty-years. I thought this was a very good idea until Maltz and the university unveiled a plan to renovate the building into a performing arts center and change the name to The Milton and Tamar Maltz

Center for the Performing Arts at The 
                                                                                   Temple- Tifereth Israel.Vice-President Joe Biden will soon decide whether or not to run for president in 2016. When or how long will it take for him to decide what he wants to do?


Renovate means that the part of the building that is not on the National Registry of Historic Buildings will be demolished and replaced by a new building.  The part of the building that is listed as a historic landmark - this includes what you see in this photo -  will be changed. I wonder what the main sanctuary will look like when construction work is done.  What will the chapel look like after it has been "renovated?"


The chapel is where weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, and Bat Mitzvahs were held. There is also  the all purpose room where the Purim carnival was held and food was served. Luntz Auditorium, located in the part of the building that was added to the original structure, will be demolished. That nice auditorium where I attended services as a Sunday school student and watched performances will be demolished. Also on the agenda for demolition is the library. The main sanctuary  where I watched
Rabbi Daniel Jeremy Silver lead services and read from the Torah on holy days will be remodeled.
I liked it the way it was.

Rabbi Silver died several years ago from brain cancer.  The main temple, the legacy of his legendary father, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, is no longer  The Temple's. Soon it will be a performing arts center.



Is this the beginning of the end?

 I ask this because when an old  building is renovated by new owners to save it from being demolished, the internal structure is changed. When a new generation of owners buy the building and the cost of fixing it is the same or more than building a new building, the owners point out the building is different from the original building. People familiar with the original building agree, and they bring out the wrecking ball. I shared this thought with a person who has a degree in Architectural History. He told me I had just made an interesting insight.  But I don't have to worry. Like Rabbi silver, I will probably be dead when that day comes.

The building at The Temple's building at The Temple's main campus known as "the main temple," was soldThe building at The building at The Temple's building