Loop Synagogue

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Coordinates: 41°52′54″N 87°37′53″W / 41.88167°N 87.63139°W / 41.88167; -87.63139
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Chicago Loop Synagogue
Modernist
Date established1929 (as a congregation)
Completed1958
Specifications
Site area5,000 square feet (460 m2)
MaterialsGlass, metal (brass and bronze} and concrete
Website
chiloopsyn.org
[1]: 104 [2]

The Chicago Loop Synagogue is an

Jewish synagogue, located at 16 South Clark Street, in the Loop precinct of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Completed in 1958,[3] the synagogue is renowned for a stained glass artwork by Abraham Rattner.[1]
: 72 

The synagogue was founded in 1929 by the

kosher food and a place to pray during the workday. Following the COVID-19 global pandemic, there were concerns that, due to the exodus of workers from the city center, the synagogue would be unable to sustain its future operating costs.[4][5][6][7]

Architecture and design

The building was designed by architects Loebl, Schlossman & Bennett, who also designed the Richard J. Daley Center.[8][9] Completed in 1958, the synagogue building replaced a synagogue on the same block that had been lost to fire.[2]

A sculpture Hands of Peace by Nehemia Azaz is situated over the entrance doors.[1]: 105  The work depicts "priestly hands raised in benediction" (the Priestly Blessing).[10]

Let There Be Light

Abraham Rattner's 30 ft × 40 ft (9.1 m × 12.2 m) Let There Be Light

menorah, a shofar and an etrog. Additional influences include kabbalistic symbolism of "the force and the spirit of the ineffable and unknowable power".[11]
: 114–115 

It was described as "[p]erhaps the most beautiful synagogue interior in the United States".[12] Another critic said the glass "bathes the sanctuary in a shower of color, artistically consecrating the space as a place apart from the grey concrete scene on the other side of the glass".[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Also listed as And God Said, Let There Be Light[11]: 112  and The Journey of a Mystic[12]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-58768-010-6 – via Google Books
    .
  2. ^ a b c "Chicago Loop Synagogue". Open House Chicago. n.d. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Lavine, Eileen (January 13, 2016), "Jewish Routes: Chicago", Moment
  4. ^ Cooper, Alanna E. (April 15, 2021). "Future in question for Chicago Loop Synagogue and its monumental stained-glass window". The Forward. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  5. ^ Chiarito, Bob (May 17, 2021). "Downtown Synagogue Hopes Worshippers Return Soon To Save Building — And Its Famed Stained Glass Window". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "THREATENED: Shrinking Membership Threatens Chicago Loop Synagogue Faces Uncertain Future". Preservation Chicago. May 31, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  7. ^ Smithson, Aaron (June 8, 2021). "With commuter congregation waning, the Chicago Loop Synagogue faces an uncertain future". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  8. ISBN 0252021851 – via Google Books
    .
  9. Chicago Architecture Foundation
    .
  10. ^ "Hands of Peace by Henri Azaz", Chicago Loop: A New Walking Tour, WTTW
  11. ^
    ISBN 978-0742546417 – via Google Books
    .
  12. ^
    OCLC 1031770403
    .
  13. ^ "Let There be Light by Abraham Rattner". Chicago Loop: A New Walking Tour. WTTW. Retrieved May 26, 2018.

Further reading

External links

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