Green Road Synagogue

About Green Road Synagogue and its History

Green Road Synagogue is home to one of Cleveland's largest Orthodox Jewish congregations. Their deep-rooted history can be traced all the way back to immigrants from Marmaresher Sziger, Hungary who established the Marmaresher B'nai Jacob Society in 1910. As the community grew, they relocated several times, eventually constructing the Green Road Synagogue at the intersection of Timberlane and Green Road in the 1970's. 

The Need for a New Shul

After 50 years, the synagogue had common signs of wear and tear; however, basement flooding rendered the classrooms unusable and the synagogue was no longer able to support the needs of their growing congregation. 

Our Design Process

Faced with a difficult decision: renovating their current synagogue or demolishing it and starting anew; the congregation contacted studioTECHNE to analyze the existing facility and study options for renovations and new construction. We began the project with a process of discovery. Through this process we observed how the congregants and their leaders worship, learn, and celebrate life events. In fact, we learned that many of the members who built the shul were holocaust survivors, and it became imperative to preserve their memory and legacy in the design. Having these personal interactions was critical for our process; and as we developed the building design, those discussions formed the way in which the space paid tribute to the families who built the original Green Road Synagogue and all those who were lost. 

The New Shul Design

The new shul (synagogue) is a 38,000+ square foot space that allows the congregation to be together, worship, learn, and grow.  In respect to the congregation's previous sanctuary, the design incorporates many elements from the original including: stained glass panels, yahrzeit boards, the tree of life doors that protect the Torah, and a similar sunburst pattern in the wood paneling. To compliment this, a custom ner tamid and mechitza echo the appearance of the tree of life doors. The sanctuary walls are adorned with prayer books and literature available to the members. 

The 450 seat sanctuary arranges the seats in a communal arc; and in order to accommodate large groups during the high holidays, moveable partitions create a series of expanding spaces between the sanctuary and social hall that will support over 1,000 guests for larger events. Not only can the new sanctuary provide space for large gatherings, but it also includes dedicated places for strollers and wheelchairs so that they are out of the aisle and easily accessible.

Not only does the sanctuary accommodate the congregation's services, but the new synagogue spatially supports their needs by including a bride's room, a groom's room, a study room, an atrium, a communal courtyard, a large youth wing, and a social hall with a kosher kitchen. 

“Everything we’ve done with much care … to maximize the efficiency and functionality, while at the same time being aesthetically beautiful,” Rabbi Binyamin Blau to Cleveland Jewish News

It has been a pleasure to work alongside the Green Road Synagogue community and Green Road Construction to create a new shul. studioTECHNE designs places for individuals to grow and communities to thrive. We are excited to see the incredible increase in events and activities at the new shul, and we look forward to seeing how the congregation will make it their new home.