Beth Sholom. Frank Lloyd Wright's only synagogue.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Beth Sholom Synagogue, Elkins Park, PA, 1954 – 1959. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Rabbi Mortimer J. Cohen and Frank Lloyd Wright. 

David Brownlee, Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor Emeritus of the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania, will accompany the group.

The only synagogue designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Beth Sholom Synagogue was commissioned in 1953 and completed in 1959, 5 months following Wright’s death. The building’s design was the product of a lengthy collaboration between Wright and then-Rabbi Mortimer J. Cohen. It was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 2007.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Beth Sholom Synagogue, Looking Towards the Alter, 1954 – 1959. Photo: Smallbones, Wikipedia.

Beth Sholom was conceived as a truly “American” synagogue, one departing in its design from new-world synagogues that emulated European or near-Eastern precursors. Architecturally evoking Mt. Sinai, the Mayan Revival building’s decorative plan reflects a variety of other influences, from 17 – 19th century wooden Polish synagogues to Native American ornament. The building was to be, as Wright put it in a letter to Cohen accompanying the initial set of plans, a “coherent statement of worship.” 

The synagogue’s hexagonal plan is intended to suggest two joined hands, because, again in Wright’s word, “when one enters a place of worship, he should feel as if he were resting in the very hands of God.” This hexagon circumscribes a tripod steel frame that supports the structure, obviating the need for supporting pillars in the interior. The building is solid yet airy, it’s translucent walls allowing natural light to enter during the day. At night, the building glows from within.

In 1960, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) listed Beth Sholom synagogue as one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most important commissions, one of his 17 contributions “to the nation...which ought to be preserved in their original form.”

Frank Lloyd Wright, Beth Sholom Synagogue, Sconce, 1954 – 1959. Photo: Smallbones, Wikipedia.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Beth Sholom Synagogue, Roofline, 1954 – 1959. Photo: Brian Dunaway, Wikipedia.