Germantown Jewish Centre

Written by in the A Place in Time category and the Winter 2023 issue Topics in this article: architecture and architects, Art Deco, Donald De Lue, Germantown Jewish Centre, Harry Sternfeld, International Style (architecture), Jews, modern, National Register of Historic Places, Philadelphia
A Place in Time spotlights a significant cultural resource - a district, site, building, structure or object - entered in the National Register of Historic Places.
Architect Harry Sternfeld capitalized on the slope opposite the main entrance of the Germantown Jewish Centre to create a monumental, carved-limestone panel, breaking out of the angled granite walls and dramatically facing Lincoln Drive, to present the Ten Commandments in Hebrew. Photo by Herb Addison

Architect Harry Sternfeld capitalized on the slope opposite the main entrance of the Germantown Jewish Centre to create a monumental, carved-limestone panel, breaking out of the angled granite walls and dramatically facing Lincoln Drive, to present the Ten Commandments in Hebrew.
Photo by Herb Addison

Rising dramatically above curving Lincoln Drive in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia is the Germantown Jewish Centre. Part synagogue, part school, the stone building is entirely striking.

The synagogue section facing Lincoln Drive suggests a mountainside breaking open to reveal a limestone tablet bearing the Ten Commandments. The opposite end features a smooth black granite wall within a limestone frame, sheltering the main entrance. Other than the monumental granite and limestone sections, the building’s walls feature a random but intricate arrangement of carefully cut granite blocks with raised mortar joints. Occasional stones project slightly to add extra dimension and texture. The Ten Commandments are represented by large Hebrew numbers corresponding to each commandment; under each number, in smaller Hebrew letters, are the first two words of the commandment itself.

Construction began in 1947 with the school wing and extended to 1954 with the completion of the synagogue wing. The architect, Harry Sternfeld (1888–1976) of Philadelphia, was known for his earlier buildings in the Art Deco style. For the Germantown Jewish Centre, he exploited a strangely shaped, steeply sloping site underlaid with mica shist, a combination of challenges many other architects deemed too unappealing to pursue. In fact, no other architect bid on the project. Sternfeld, nearing the end of his career, welcomed the challenge. While some elements of the interior reflect his Art Deco experience, the exterior embraces the International and Modern styles.

 

A sleek black granite wall framed in limestone shelters the entrance to the Germantown Jewish Centre. The smooth, uniform surface contrasts with the stonework of the adjacent wings, which feature a random but intricate arrangement of carefully cut granite blocks of various hues, with raised mortar joints. Occasional stones project a bit to add extra dimension and texture to the effect. Photo by Herb Addison

A sleek black granite wall framed in limestone shelters the entrance to the Germantown Jewish Centre. The smooth, uniform surface contrasts with the stonework of the adjacent wings, which feature a random but intricate arrangement of carefully cut granite blocks of various hues, with raised mortar joints. Occasional stones project a bit to add extra dimension and texture to the effect.
Photo by Herb Addison

Sternfeld’s friend, sculptor Donald De Lue (1897–1988), created some wood carvings for the synagogue’s interior. De Lue had previously worked with Sternfeld on exterior sculptures for the United States Court House and Post Office Building (1939–41) in Philadelphia.

The Germantown Jewish Centre became an early regional model for the suburban-style synagogues that became popular in the outer neighborhoods of Philadelphia and the city’s surrounding suburbs, and it reflects the demographic shifts in the Philadelphia Jewish community. By the 1930s more than 500 Jewish families were scattered through the Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill neighborhoods. Groups of families worshipped together and observed traditional practices and holidays in their homes or rented spaces for more structured gatherings.

In 1936 some of these groups came together to organize social and cultural monthly meetings and evolved into a formal synagogue practicing Conservative Judaism. When they were ready to build a dedicated facility of their own, they wanted more than just a religious institution, however, and chose the name Germantown Jewish Centre to reflect their goals of creating a true center and focal point for Jewish life. The property continues to play an important role in the greater community today.

 

Recent listings in the National Register of Historic Places include Butler Veterans Administration Hospital, Butler Township, Butler County; Corry Historic District, Corry, Erie County; Engine Company No. 29, Philadelphia; Germantown Fireproof Storage Warehouse, Philadelphia; Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Albany Township, Berks County; Heishman Mill, West Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County; Lincoln University, Lower Oxford Township, Chester County; Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, Northampton County; Memorial Church of Our Father, Foxburg Borough, Clarion County; Passtown Elementary School, Valley Township, Chester County; Peoples Bank Building, McKeesport, Allegheny County; Reyburn Manufacturing Co. Building, Philadelphia; E.A. Wright Bank Note Co. Building, Philadelphia; and Wright’s Block, Erie, Erie County.

 

April E. Frantz is a historic preservation specialist who reviews National Register nominations in the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office.