Summary status report on our facilities needs, 2026 (Speculation)

NEARING THE END of this fiscal year, with newly elected officers and directors, let me take stock of where we stand. From this vantage point, our recent accomplishments and imminent projects are taken as givens. What matters most are the challenges that we have yet to address.

The focus in this post is not on making improvements per se, but more simply on attending to what we currently have, beyond routine maintenance. I further restrict my focus here to items that are not obvious.

Below the jump, this post sums up the needs of our facilities’ major areas of concern. The list is not exhaustive. 

Replacing the west windows of our school/office building (Speculation)

MOST OF THE WINDOWS in our school building were replaced under a state security grant in 2024. In order to meet the state standards, those new windows were of course much more energy-efficient than the original ones. 

Yet two large window bays that face an internal alley were left untouched. They are located in the hallway above the western door, and in the art studio. These windows were a less-obvious security risk because they don’t have direct access from the outside world, and Mishkon needed to be cautious about being able to secure reimbursement for its advance expenditures under the grant. 

Below the jump, this post records the dimensions of these older windows, reviews their condition, and examines the prospects for their eventual replacement.… 

Wire mesh glass may not be worth retaining (Speculation)

THIS AFTERNOON, I was describing our windows to someone, which induced me to look up wire mesh glass, which I knew very little about. Mishkon now has such glass installed not only as an exterior layer for many of its stained-glass windows, but also as the glazing for windows on the west side of the school building. 

For various reasons, we plan to replace all of those panels within the next few years. The question is: should we replace them with the same type of glass—or something else?

Below the jump, I share the surprising answer that arose from my initial research.…

Grant applied for, to restore stained-glass windows and frames (Activity Report)

ON MARCH 3, Mishkon submitted a grant proposal to the National Fund for Sacred Places, which I helped to write. If awarded, the grant would provide a 1:1 match of funds, namely half of the estimated $186K needed to rebuild the glazing in the 12 exposed windows, and to overhaul their frames and hardware, in our historic sanctuary building. 

Below the jump, this post describes what we said that Mishkon would do with those funds, and why.

Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Capital Priorities, as submitted 2/3/25 (Activity Report)

THE COMMITTEE WAS ASKED to provide the Board a list of priorities for the use of funds currently held in the Mishkon Tephilo Capital Improvements Fund (at Morgan Stanley). The committee was informed that approximately $400,000 was deposited into this fund from proceeds of the sale of the Powerhouse property and the bequest of Larry Kasdon.

(So begins the report. Below the jump, the remainder is given verbatim.…)

West wall of school building needs maintenance (Condition Record)

LAST PAINTED IN 2007, which was 17 years ago, the west wall of our school building is in need of a little lovin’. In retrospect, it should have been repainted a decade ago. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This wall has been neglected because almost nobody except the staff ever sees it. Meanwhile, the afternoon sun and sea breezes have taken their toll.

Below the jump, this short post documents the wall’s current condition, with three annotated photos.

Summary status report on our facilities needs

STARTING A NEW fiscal year, with some new officers and directors, let us take stock of where we stand. From this vantage point, our recent accomplishments and imminent projects are taken as givens. What matters most are the challenges that we have yet to address.

The focus in this post is not on making improvements per se, but more simply on attending to what we currently have, beyond routine maintenance. I further restrict my focus here to items that are not obvious. (Which excludes repairing the flood damage in the basement.) This gives us our baseline for moving forward beyond this summer’s projects.

Below the jump, this post sums up the needs of our facilities major areas of concern. The list is not exhaustive. What is listed here alone will cost more than $180K. Most of the expenditures have been discussed by, and authorized by, the board of directors.

Ventilation and air conditioning in the rabbi’s office

OUR RABBI MAY WELL be the biggest beneficiary of the security windows that were installed in December. I’m not talking about protection from potential attacks. I mean on a more tangible, everyday basis!

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, this post explains why I say so.…

Water intrusion on south wall, apparently through nearby window

A MOSTLY VERTICAL CRACK appeared in mid-January in the newly repaired and painted interior plaster surface of the south wall. It’s in a portion of the wall that did not have cracking previously: at Row 15 of the seats. For a couple of weeks, I could not account for what caused it. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, this post discusses the problem.…

The challenge of heating the sanctuary on Shabbat morning

IN THE WINTER, it’s a challenge to protect our worshipers from airborne illness while also keeping them warm enough, and while minimizing water damage to our facilities from rainfall. Fortunately, given the relatively temperate climate in Venice, we face this challenge only a few months of the year. Yet during those months, the situation requires active management. 

The HVAC control interface via the internet
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Each week during cold weather, the trade-offs need to be weighed. Factors include predictions for the outdoor temperature, the wind velocity and direction, the amount of rainfall — and how prevalent and how severe the covid-19, flu, and RSV infections are locally. 

Below the jump, this post discusses the challenges and trade-offs. It suggests some management guidelines, based on my experience last winter.

Are the outer panes right for our stained glass windows?

OF THE TWELVE OPENABLE PANELS in our south-facing stained-glass windows, 6 of them have protective glazing (an outer pane of clear or wired glass). Notably, the 6 that don’t are all bowed at the bottom. 

It may appear that the outside layer of glass is helping to preserve the stained-glass windows. More likely, the bowing on those panels occurred first, causing the outer glass to fall out. After all, our consultant 20 years ago warned us that the protective glazing was improperly installed—and was therefore shortening the life of our windows.

Below the jump, I excerpt (without comment) from a longer article on the topic, written by an expert.…

South wall: Opinion of a stucco repair contractor

TODAY I MET outside the south wall with Brian James, who works for a stucco repair contractor. He has 17 years of experience in dealing with aging and decrepit stucco surfaces in the L.A. area. While awaiting his bid for restoration, I will write up what I learned from our conversation.…

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

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.…

Adding Fans in the Sanctuary

WHEN OUR SANCTUARY IS RELATIVELY FULL, such as on the High Holy Days, the need for ventilation is higher — especially during an airborne pandemic. Arguably this is when it makes sense to re-install electric fans in the window openings. 

In this post, I recommend a particular configuration for those fans, while offering two caveats for their operation.

NOTE:  Adding fans in the sanctuary is one of three parallel avenues that are being explored to reduce the risk of airborne infection in the sanctuary, for the sake of public health during the pandemic. The other two avenues are: air conditioning filtration, and placing air purifiers on the bimah.

Summary: Pending Project: Stained-Glass Window Restoration

THE PLAN FOR OUR WINDOWS has been evolving in recent months. It is now more modest.… 

The Window That Worries Me the Most (Updated from 7/17)

THIS 4TH WINDOW from the bimah (3rd from the lobby) is a matter of concern.

For a brief analysis of its condition, see after the jump break.…

More about the Restoration of Stained-Glass Windows

RECENTLY, Michelle Geil and I have been corresponding with a restorer of stained-glass windows, to find out what a restoration project would involve.

Below the jump, I report on some of what we have learned.…

Board Approves Six Maintenance/Repair Projects

DURING THIS MONTH’S REGULAR MEETING, Mishkon’s board of directors passed three facilities-related resolutions. Taken together, the authorize expenditures — as funds are available — up to certain stated amounts for six projects. All of them are slated to be undertaken (at least begun) this summer. 

Below the jump, I list these projects, and I give hyperlinks to blog posts that have already discussed 3 of them.…

The Most Urgent Maintenance and Capital Improvement Expenditures

OUR LIST OF SPECIAL PROJECTS is growing: non-routine maintenance-related or restoration-related expenses that are warranted in the near term. This post is intended to inform the board, the membership, and prospective donors about those needs, so that we can now work together to raise the necessary funds. (These tasks are not among the restoration projects that the board has previously approved, conditional on the availability of funds.)

Stained Glass Windows: Restoration and Care

“THE WINDOWS at Temple Mishkon Tephilo are fine examples of mid-century American stained glass. Their simple repeating pattern with minimal paint allowed for all of the windows to be commissioned at one time at a reasonable cost. This also provided the proper visual element for the worship space while diffusing, but not obscuring, the strong Southern California sunlight.”

So wrote David Judson, the head of America’s oldest family-run stained glass studio: Judson Studios in Highland Park. He is a great-great-grandson of its founder. A little more than 19 years ago (2-13-03), Judson assessed the condition of our art glass windows—which are now 74 years old—and offered guidance for their restoration. 

 

This post restates that report, as re-edited with a focus on its action items. Although we don’t yet have cost estimates for the needed restoration work, at least we have reliable guidance as to what should be done. [I also add my own observations, in square brackets.]