Temple Sherith Israel is a world-class sample of religious architecture. Its designer was Albert Pissis, a Mexican-born French-Catholic who studied at the prestigious L’Ecole des Beau-Arts in Paris, France. When Pissis returned to San Francisco, he brought with him a neo-classical style that combined renaissance-revival with post-impressionist views. He began introducing his style starting with the Hibernia Bank building in 1892 and continued to incorporate it throughout his works. In creating the Temple for the congregation, Pissis attempted to produce something that would serve its members for generations, as well as incorporate visual design elements that were aesthetically pleasing. The result was a creation that stands more than 120 feet tall, features a dome with an external diameter of 60 feet, and contains more than 20,000 square feet of usable space. The congregation’s practical needs were also kept in mind—the Temple sits more than 1,400 members. The structure also contains 121 glass windows, 89 of which are ornamentally leaded and of which 32 are arched.
While the Temple Sherith Israel was the only synagogue Pissis has designed, he has achieved the difficult task of combining form and function into this great building. The building’s only flaw is that it included unreinforced masonry, which following the San Francisco earthquake of 1989, was deemed by the city as in need of a retrofit. To Pissis’ credit, this would have been extremely difficult to predict almost 90 years earlier. Where most architectural purists elevate aesthetic appeal over solid structural design, Pissis balanced the two in a building that has withstood two great earthquakes and continues to be the pride of San Francisco’s Jewish community.
I like the presence of this building in my region as a true work of art. As a believer in the Jewish faith, I can trace my relationship to this building from a religious perspective. The dome adds a touch of class to the building that sets it apart from other synagogues that I have visited and the stained glass gems are awe-inspiring, especially in the late-afternoon sun. The only feature that is off-putting is the salmon colored paint that was added in the 1950’s. Over the years, the paint has begun to peel as moisture trapped underneath damaged the surface. During the retrofit that is currently underway to fix the masonry issues, the paint will be removed, leaving the original splendor of the building intact.