What’s the seating capacity of our sanctuary?

NOW THAT SEVERAL ROWS of theater seats have been removed at the back of our historic sanctuary, how many seats remain?

The gross count is: 25 rows of seats, with 22 seats in each row (6 + 10 + 6), which is a potential total of 550 seats.

This needs to be adjusted downward, pending our repair of the south wall, because some seats have been temporarily removed along that wall, and 4 of them have been stashed in an existing row.

Current net seat count  =  530.

Update: Theater seats in the sanctuary (Documentation of adapted use)

ACCORDING TO the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties — the main standard for the preservation and protection of historic objects — “all replacement or alterations should be documented with description, pictorial and physical evidence.” 

As noted elsewhere on this blog, the sanctuary’s theater seats are among Mishkon’s “historic objects.” Below the jump, this post documents a recent change in our treatment of the theater seats.

Removing Theater Seats from the Sanctuary

THE THEATER SEATS in the sanctuary are held in place in three separate ways: 2 screws into the floor at the bottom of each leg, plus 2 bolts into the neighboring seat, as well as 2 seat posts. 

This post describes the attachments and how to remove them. (After a set of 2 or 3 seats is removed, it can be loaded onto a hand truck.)

South Wall: Incremental Steps toward Test Cuts (rev. 11/13)

MAKING TEST CUTS into the south wall will be an adventure in discovery. (Best case: we find that the wall’s structural integrity is in good shape. Worst case: we find that there’s significant structural damage due to water damage, dry rot, termites; and maybe there’s mold, as well.) The point of this exercise is to be able to develop reliable cost estimates for structural repair and waterproofing later this year. 

There are many issues to consider in advance, in order to ensure that we get useful and reliable answers to our questions. To me, the pending discovery stage feels a bit like sending an unmanned mission to Mars—we’ve got to get it right long before the probe lands on the unexplored surface of interest.

An American probe sent to Mars

Below the jump, this post discusses the various considerations.…

Sit Back and Enjoy Our Theater Seats

THERE AREN’T MANY SYNAGOGUES whose sanctuary features metal upholstered folding theater-style seating. Usually the older synagogues have benches or pews — which is what Mishkon had in its previous space. (Guess which type of seating is more comfortable?) 

This post dwells on the nature of these seats and their value as a significant element in Mishkon’s history. Below the jump, you can read about their provenance, and the prospects for their eventual restoration.…