Few cities offer as much diversity as Houston, Texas –
ethnic, culture, cuisine or architecture, Houston has many examples of each. The temple Emanu-El located on Sunset
Boulevard is an example of Houston’s rich architectural history which has
become an integral part of its community.
The congregation of Emanu-El met for the first time on June 8, 1944 in
borrowed space at a local church. Quickly
realizing the need for their own building to commune in, the congregation found
and purchased the property at 1500 Sunset Boulevard (Temple). Once the land purchase was complete, the
search for designers and architects began.
In 1945, Lenard Gambert, a Houston architect who was also a member of
the Temple Emanu-El Building Committee, approached two architects, Karl Kamrath
and Fred MacKie, about designing the congregation’s temple. Gambert suggested that the structure of their
new temple should be a more original design and different from the conventional
domed Byzantine era temples that is traditional for other Jewish temples. Kamrath and MacKie accepted the challenge of
designing the new temple with enthusiasm.
They researched contemporary and traditional temple designs extensively,
and were very influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and his style of Organic
Architecture. It was not until September
1947 that the final plans were submitted and approved for construction. A local house builder and member of the
congregation, Martin Nadleman, was selected as the temple’s contractor. The cost to construct the temple was
estimated at $1,000,000 when their actual budget was only $800,000. To accommodate the lower budget, Kamrath and
MacKie removed from their plans the items that could be easily added at a later
time, such as two balconies, covers over pathways, carpet, and metal
ornamentation. By removing these extra
items from the plans, the two architects were able to bring the cost down to
$780,000. Construction began in the
summer of 1948.
Organic architecture is defined as “a reinterpretation of
nature’s principle’s as they had been filtered through the intelligent minds of
men and women who could then build forms which are more natural than nature
itself” (Elman). For example, the Temple
Emanu-El is not designed to look like a leaf or other object from nature but is
instead an example of how layered surfaces create depth and give the structure
shape, just like we see in nature. This
symbolism can be seen in the angles of the building that signify open arms to
welcome the surrounding community in.
The slow builds to the large peaks help to soften the appearance. The walls are not intended to add to the
beauty of the building, but are simply elevating the beautiful elements of the
roof. The exterior of the building is
made up of large, angular roof segments and walls that “are simply a functional
expression of the plan” (Miller, 1993, p. 119). Even the property itself contributes to the
Organic style of construction and architecture.
The front lawn is a lush green area that contains trees, allowing the
church to sit comfortably within its designated space without pushing the
boundaries of the land. Any passerby can
easily see the building, and the lawn helps the temple seem less imposing
compared to how it would appear if the church were sitting right on the
street. Organic architecture “seeks
superior sense of use and a finer sense of comfort, expressed in organic
simplicity” (Wright). The goal is to
have the building, furnishings and surroundings all work together flawlessly.
This sense of Organic Architecture continues in the temple’s
interior. The main temple is a large
open space that can seat about 800 people.
The entrances are in the back corners of the sanctuary. The ceiling slopes up to the front and the
walls converge to the center of the stage.
At the very center of the stage sits the temple’s Ark. The Ark is the cabinet in which their five
Torah Scrolls are held. The congregation
places high priority on community and glorifying God. The congregation use the beams in the main
temple as a reminder of those fundamental beliefs. The vertical beams, that is to represent their
connection with God, and the horizontal beams represent their connection with
each other as members of the same congregation.
“The space within the building is the reality of that building”
(McCarter, 2000, p. 37). The interior
consists primarily of the main temple (or sanctuary) and the assembly
hall. These two elements of the temple
Emanu-El are then surrounded by one large hallway that connects everything
together and also contains classrooms and offices. The main temple and the assembly hall share a
common wall. This wall is artificial and
can be collapsed to accommodate large crowds numbering up to 2600 people. The main temple still has the original pews
installed in 1949. The building
committee wanted the sanctuary and assembly hall to have large windows so that
both could be lit with the natural sunlight.
Because of the large windows, “sky light streams in from high-set
windows on the two outer walls, infusing the sanctuary with a sense of
peacefulness and calm” (). This feature
saves the temple money as well as gives both rooms a friendly atmosphere.
Construction of the basic temple Emanu-El was
completed in one year, and was dedicated on September 9, 1949. MacKie and Kamrath finished designing the
stained glass windows as well as the Ark in 1953. Since the completion of the temple, the congregation
has made a few additions to the building, but its foundation is still the same Organic
styled temple that was built over half a century ago. Still standing firmly with its arms open wide
to the surrounding community.
References
Miller, Scott Reagan (May 1993). The architecture of MacKie and Kamrath. Order number 1355243. Retrieved from https://scholarship.rice.edu/bitstream/handle/1911/13763/1355243.PDF?sequence=1
Wright, Frank Lloyd (1998, March 2). General format. Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/f/franklloyd127712.html
McCarter, R. (2000). Frank Lloyd Wright’s Living Space
Elman, K. (2006). Frank
Lloyd Wright and the Principles of Organic Architecture. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/flw/legacy/essay1.html
Temple Emanu-El. Retrieved from http://www.emanuelhouston.org/history
Fox, S. (2014, Dec. 3). Temple Emanu-El:”A Sensation of
Grace”. Retrieved from http://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/Temple-Emanu-El-5930803.php
Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson,
M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved
from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
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