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In the News
Shawmut Begins Construction on New Phase of Temple Israel's Renovations
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The fourth phase of renovations a new grand entrance to the Temple off of the Riverway in Boston Boston, Mass.—March 18, 2009—Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading national construction management firm, is starting construction on the new Riverway entrance for the historic Temple Israel in Boston, Massachusetts. As with the previous four phases of the renovation, the firm is collaborating again with architects Leers Weinzapfel Associates. The project consists of restoring the original historic monumental stair as the grand entrance and is scheduled to include stone, glass railings, ramps, and architectural upgrades. For several years, Shawmut has been working with Temple Israel and the design team to develop a long-term plan for achieving their renovation goals, while performing each phase of the work as it evolves and is finalized. Originally built in the 1920's, the historic Temple Israel was in need of a renovation to provide adequate space for increased worship and program space to accommodate their growing congregation. During previous renovations, the existing Levi auditorium was converted from a 5,000 sf auditorium to a multi-use function hall, a new elevator shaft was constructed, general mechanical and life safety upgrades were performed, and several interior spaces (including offices, bathrooms and a service kitchen) were renovated. Phase I, which began in June 2007, involved the conversion of the existing basement area into classrooms to support the Temple's Hebrew School program. Because the Temple is considered an important historic religious structure in the city, they turned to Shawmut because of their reputation as a trusted partner in historic restoration and religious structure renovations. One of the biggest challenges of this project is that the Temple's location, in the heart of the Longwood Medical Area, means that the construction team has a very constricted site to work on. This also means that complex logistics will have to be coordinated and well planned to successfully bring materials and machinery to the site. In addition, the project will be completed in June on a fast-track schedule in order to minimize disruptions to the Temple's religious services and community functions. Other historic projects recently completed or underway by Shawmut include Rhode Island Hall at Brown University, Touro Synagogue, Byerly Hall at Harvard University, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and James Hall at UNH. About Shawmut Design and Construction |
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