S.F. synagogue is a ‘watermelon’ of a winner

The “big cheese” just won a big award.

Perhaps I should clarify that statement.

Back in August, the newly designed sanctuary at Congregation Beth Sholom, a Conservative synagogue in San Francisco’s Richmond District, was likened to a wedge of cheddar, a slice of yellow squash and a half-pipe that any skateboarder would dream of shredding.

And those were some of the nicer comparisons.

There were comments-a-plenty when San Francisco Chronicle writer John King featured Beth Sholom’s unconventional architecture in his “Place” column last summer.

Mixed in with the positive remarks were some nasty ones, most notably a “modern monstrosity,” a “design horror” and a “bit of a county jail mixed with the Guggenheim.” 

Well, every naysayer who left (or thought about leaving) comments on SFGate.com would certainly have a bone to pick with a jury of prominent architects who recently named Beth Sholom the best new building in San Francisco.

According to King, the structure designed by Stanley Saitowitz with a “bowl-like sanctuary of golden concrete atop zinc-clad offices” is one of three recipients of an Honor award in architecture from the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Other winners included the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland and the Final(ly) House, a structure slid against a Sausalito Ridge that boasts a grass roof, King notes.

It's easy to see why the panel of architects presented Beth Sholom with such an accolade. The sanctuary features stadium seating for 650, and a state-of-the-art LED yahrzeit wall and ner tamid. There's also a futuristic staircase, the calming rock garden beneath it and exterior curves that halt plenty of passers-by.

Pretty remarkable considering just months ago, people were referring to the synagogue, which sits at the southwest corner of Clement Street and 14th Avenue, as a “toilet bowl.”

“That reference offends me, but it shows human creativity,” Rabbi Micah Hyman told me in August. “Don’t think I didn’t think about getting a skateboard out – that half-pipe is amazing. Great buildings should cause a reaction. It’s good stuff.

What's your take on Beth Sholom's award-winning building? Share your comments below!

Click here to read King's column

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