Entry accessibility plan for the sanctuary building (Activity Report)

AN ENTRY ACCESSIBILITY PLAN was required by the City as a prerequisite for doing renovations. Happily, ours has now taken shape. On October 23, our architect presented the draft plan to a civil engineer on the disability access team at the Department of Building & Safety (LADBS). She said that the concept seemed workable, given our needs and constraints. That not only clears the way for the planned restroom renovations, but also sets the course for significant accessibility improvements.

Below the jump, this post lays out our plan.… 

First 6 months of Phase 1 renovations: Preparatory steps (Activity Report)

IN LATE OCTOBER, our architect (along with a pair of synagogue representatives) had two productive meetings with City officials. They conducted an initial review of the planned Phase 1 of renovations. Both of those meetings settled a number of uncertainties. That result now enables us to move forward with our Phase 1 renovations. It also provides a good opportunity to take stock of what has been accomplished during the 6 months (this week) that the project has now been formally underway.

Below the jump, this post provides a progress report, along with a brief look at what comes next.…

Mishkon engages architect for Phase 1 of multi-year renovations (Activity Report)

MISHKON SIGNED A CONTRACT in May with KCK Architects, an accomplished historic preservation firm, to oversee Phase 1 of renovations in our historic sanctuary building. After meeting with representatives of seven firms, I recommended this one as the best suited for our needs among those available to undertake our project.

The planned work is to be carried out in several phases over a period of 3–4 years. The only phase we have contracted for at present is the first one, which includes restroom remodeling (lobby level), lobby reno­vation, and the siting/integration of a possible elevator, within the context of an overall entry accessibility plan. Fu­ture phases are subject to approval by the board and/or B&G Committee.

Below the jump, this post discusses the background, the need, and the architect’s services to be performed—with brief status notes as we near the 6-month mark.…

A plan for entry accessibility (Speculation)

GETTING IN AND OUT of our historic sanctuary building cannot be done according to either the normal building code or the more lenient state historic building code, unfortunately. Yet surely our impending restroom expansion will trigger a review of the building’s entry accessibility. This topic must be addressed before we can proceed with that larger project. Therefore I have been working toward a draft plan for entry accessibility, while discussing the topic with several architects.

Ultimately, such a plan will need to be formally developed by an architect of record. However, I find that our building poses certain constraints that will inevitably guide that plan. Below the jump, this post discusses those constraints, and the remaining options.