Wilshire Boulevard Temple

The largest dome structure in Los Angeles, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple was built in the 1920's and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Wilshire Boulevard Temple was the first synagogue in Los Angeles and has served as the home of the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles since 1929. The Temple's façade combines a traditional Romanesque three-arch portal and rose window with a vast Byzantine-style dome (135-foot diameter). The four-story building consists of a steel frame encased in concrete with cast-in-place concrete bearing and shear walls. The spectacular interior is filled with murals depicting 3,000 years of Jewish history, black and gold Belgian marble columns, walnut paneling, marble marquetry, bronze Ark doors, and bronze chandeliers.

Structural Focus provided structural engineering services for the renovation and seismic retrofit of the Temple. One of the most challenging aspects of the restoration was seismically retrofitting the building without affecting its historic features. The solution was to insert shear walls, designed to resist the lateral force of an earthquake, within the existing air space of the double stud partition walls. This invisible approach strengthened the building without affecting the building’s historic surfaces. The project also involved the installation of an HVAC system; acoustic, audio visual, and lighting enhancements; improved accessibility and sanctuary seating; and new and restored restroom facilities.