By Joe Reuben, Bulletin Contributor
Progress has been slow, but steady, as the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation shepherds the restoration of the round-domed, former synagogue at 333 N. Negley Avenue. The intrusion of water into the structure has finally been arrested after years of unabated flow, following repairs to a rooftop parapet and installation of new roof drainage lines on two sides of the building.
The next phase of work, scheduled to begin later this winter, would entail installing a new electrical system, a fire suppression system, reconnection of water and sewer lines to the mains, and possibly filling in holes in the exterior stone surface of the building. To be able to start this work will require the BGC to reach an agreement with the city Planning Department on what will be needed to secure a temporary occupancy permit for the structure.
An August meeting with city planning staff yielded some insight into what the City’s requirements will be for that permit, of which the most significant appears to be addressing the fact that none of the land surrounding the building, nor the steps leading up to the front portico, belongs to the Rotunda. The ownership of that land belongs instead to the owners of the Carina Apartments, which sits attached to the Rotunda at 327 N. Negley. A future construction phase calls for an addition to be built onto the rear of the Rotunda to provide for new bathrooms and a catering area. City planning is firm in its stance that no extension of the current building can be built on any land that is controlled by an unrelated party.
For more information about the Rotunda, please visit the Rotunda Collaborative site HERE.
If you’re interested in touring the Rotunda site (tours held on First Friday at 5P), sign up HERE.
