HPB Minutes 2010-0309 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Temple B'Nai Zion along with three renderings of it. Assistant City Attorney Fernando Amuchastegui briefly went over the history of how we got to where we are tonight. He noted that the purpose of tonight's meeting is a presentation by Consultant Ellen Uguccioni, and that a vote will not take place tonight,the Historic Preservation Board will not be making a decision tonight as to whether or not the site should be designated as a historic site. He introduced Consultant Ellen Uguccioni who was hired by the Historic Preservation Board to prepare the formal Designation Report, which was distributed. Consultant Ellen Uguccioni reported and gave a power point presentation of Temple B'Nai Zion noting that the cover of the Designation Report is a rendering that was done by Architect William Kreidt. In the Designation Report there is a site plan identifying parts of the building as A,B,C. D, and E, which is: A) the main building, B)the Portico which is a covered'walkway in front of the building, C) the Memorial Tower, D) a small building serving as 'a connector to the Synagogue, and E) a meeting hall/cultural center. They are proposing only A, B, and C for designation because it is their opinion that D & E are pedestrian buildings'and are functional. Ms. Uguccioni explained that in Chapter 171 the criteria is a site of an historic event, and Mr. Schulman had already mentioned the Holocaust Survivors ceremony. The building was built in 1962 and finished in 1964, the building is 46 years old and you may have heard in historic preservation circles that generally a building is 50 years old to begin to look at it as an historic site. That is not true any more,they have found that lately, Miami Modem in particular, is such an important phase of architectural design that we do not look at dates as the sole reason why we would designate a building. It began as a Lutheran Church which was designed by Architect William Kreidt, and the first criteria that we talk about in the report is the fact that the demographics of Sunny Isles Beach changed considerably, and that the Jewish population on Sunny Isles Beach expanded. You will find that the Christian symbols changes into Jewish symbols later on in 1997 when it became a Jewish Synagogue. She said one of the things they talk about is the evolution of design and she went through several renderings. She showed how similar Architect William Kreidt's work is to Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's work. She feels that the whole Synagogue is a very sculptural form and that is important in terms of progression of architectural styles. She showed the stained glass window which is referred to as the Grace Window, which is very much like the structure of a tree, and abstract panels. The lamp is original and is very much like Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. The exterior materials are brought inward like a seamless transition from the exterior to the interior,and beams that are holding the roof, follows the line of the roof on the inside. Board Member Phillip Chernoff pointed out that the main stained glass window that is at the rear was originally an angel and they had that taken out and replaced it with this more abstract design. Ms. Uguccioni said they had not come across that and that she will make a change in the report. Ms. Uguccioni said that their conclusion after reviewing the facts and looking at this beautiful building is that it is indeed a tour de force in modem design and it's importance to that ceremony that was held in 2004, they believe that fills the criteria in the Code, and her recommendation is that Temple B'Nai Zion, including the Main Sanctuary, the Portico, and the Memorial Tower, does in fact qualify under Section 171-5(B) and (C) of the City Code, and that it is eligible for historic site designation. Summary Minutes: 2010-0309 HPB Mtg Page 2 of 3