TriBeCa Synagogue’s Memorable Building and Stubborn Architect

2015-03-11T21:08:00-04:00

William Breger’s roster of memorable buildings is short: just one. But it is a building that has caught the public’s eye for three generations, that has accommodated, challenged and defined an ever-evolving religious community. Many architects die having achieved far less.

The architect, who could be difficult, objected to changes made years ago to “his” building. He was angered by the design of a mechitza, or partition, installed to separate women and men during worship. (Rabbi Glass had it changed.) He was infuriated when the original landscaped plaza by M. Paul Friedberg and Partners was paved over.

More recently, when he learned that a ground-floor reception area, designed by Claire Weisz, had been built without his knowledge, he warned Rabbi Glass that if he did not like what he saw, he would cut the synagogue off from any bequest.

What he found was a front desk that, with its shallow S shape, paid homage to his bow-fronted design. Rabbi Glass said Mr. Breger paid it a high compliment: “I don’t hate it.”

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TriBeCa Synagogue’s Memorable Building and Stubborn Architect