Happy Hanukkah! Preservation & a festival of light and glass

In honor of the festival of lights, I share this piece from CBS Sunday Morning on the Eldridge Street Synagogue (1887) in New York City.  It’s worth noting that the congregation had dwindled to nearly nothing, to the point where the main space of the building was closed to the public because it was falling apart.  Yet, before the National Historic Landmark building reached the point of no repair, there was a realization of what would be lost if no action were taken, and the community banded together to rescue the building — a 20-year effort.  (I like to think this could be the same story for the Church of the Assumption, but there will be a final demolition appeal hearing in January.  Stay tuned.)

Watch the segment to see the beautiful, star-filled windows designed by artists Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans that replaced the lost stained glass.

Daily architecture tours at the Eldridge Street Synagogue at 11:30, 1:30 and 3:30.

CBS News video: Synagogue’s Stained Glass Celebrates Festival of Lights – Hannukah is the Festival of Lights, and this holiday season the Eldridge Street Synagogue, in the heart of New York’s Chinatown, has a lot of light to celebrate. Serena Alstchul visited the completely refurbished Synagogue that is capped off by a magnificent new stained glass window designed by avant-garde artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans.

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