301 WASHINGTON AVENUE - A HISTORY

THE HOME OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF FLORIDA

The lovingly restored synagogue, designed by noted Art Deco architect Henry Hohauser, was built in 1936. It was the second sanctuary for Miami Beach's first Jewish congregation that had outgrown its original home next door. The congregation was composed primarily of Canadians who wintered on Miami Beach. 

The structure boasts 80 stained glass windows, eight Deco chandeliers, a marble bimah, decorative exterior concrete relief panels and a copper Moorish dome. In its original configuration, the building held 850 people in theater-style seating. The floor was sloped to allow worshippers to see and hear the religious services.

The structure was built at a cost of $40,000 with the same elements and materials as the adjacent original synagogue that was built seven years earlier. The front elevations of both buildings have the same gable and two-story rectangular plans. The central double door of 301 Washington Avenue has inset panels, highlighting the Star of David as its decoration. The main entrance is elevated and fronted by ten steps surfaced in tile and is approached from three sides. Above the door is a large arched stained glass window that represents the giving of the Ten Commandments to the Jews on Mount Sinai with the rays of the Divine presence streaming down from the clouds. The entrance is flanked by coupled fluted pilasters of cast stone, topped by composite capitals with the fluting continuing in the arch. Parts of the original light fixtures and stair railings remain. Multi-color Art Deco friezes with the Star of David are located between the first and second floor windows on all four sides of the building.

A copper dome mounted in an octagonal drum crowns the outside of the building. Each side of the drum has an octagonal stained glass window with a central Star of David. The rear elevation is a symmetrical composition with windows flanking the central projecting beam. Above this projection, a semi-circular stained glass window depicts the Menorah.

The interior ceiling is a shallow barrel vault with the largest chandelier suspended from the top of the copper dome. Six arches in the ceiling connect twelve columns on the northern and southern walls. The columns contain the Star of David and Menorah-like sconces.

When the structure was built, it had no air conditioning. The transparent glass windows had to be opened during services, letting in the street noises and the beach's blowing sand and dust. When Rabbi Moses Mescheloff (who became the congregation's spiritual leader in 1937) addressed the congregation with the windows and doors open he had to speak so loudly that he could be heard on Euclid Avenue, a block away. The sun shone so brightly that it was impossible for the worshipers to read their prayer books.

The congregation decided to install stained glass windows in the edifice to keep out the noise, the distraction of activities in the street and the blinding light. Rabbi Mescheloff himself designed the windows with graphic symbols to proclaim the messages of the foundations of Judaism. They create an environment colorfully enriched with the aspirations of the principles of the Jewish faith. The stained glass windows, installed in 1940, were fabricated in Hialeah.

The edifice at 301 Washington Avenue served as the religious and cultural center of the South Beach Jewish community through the heyday of Jewish life there from 1936-1986. In 1980, the structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the early 1980s, the neighborhood rapidly declined. The congregation dwindled as the Jewish community moved away from the South Beach neighborhood. While some other nearby synagogues were converted to nightclubs, this building was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Hurricane Andrew decimated the roof in August 1992. The resulting torrents of water destroyed the ceilings, walls, foundation, decorative plaster moldings and oak floors. The beautiful stained glass windows became the target of vandalism.

The building was slated for demolition to allow construction of an apartment building on the site. At that time, MOSAIC, an organization that created a traveling exhibition on Florida Jewish history, was looking for a permanent home to continue to expand, preserve and display MOSAIC's significant collection. In 1993 a wonderful marriage was made between a vacant synagogue with an important cultural history and an organization with a mission to preserve the rich heritage of contributions by Jews to the development of the State for nearly 250 years.

Architect Ira Giller sought to create juxtaposition between the old and the new. He responded to both the need to restore original architectural elements and the desire to create new elements to function as a state-of-the-art museum. The two-year restoration process was completed in 1995 at a cost of nearly $2,000,000. The balcony where women normally sat during worship services was converted to office space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Museum floor. The restored structure was topped off by the restoration of its original copper dome as a neighborhood landmark – one that has beckoned and welcomed the waves of Jewish, Hispanic and ultimately Haitian refugees to the area. In 1997, the Museum was honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its outstanding contributions to the regentrification of the neighborhood and for restoration of the building.

In the new space, the Museum has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors – Jewish and Gentile, young and old, residents and tourists. It brings an intellectual element and a community cultural center to a neighborhood teeming with gourmet restaurants, high-rise condominiums and luxury hotels that is home to fashion and movie shoots.

The Jewish Museum of Florida is truly the crown jewel of Miami Beach.

Click here for a video tour of the Museum

Click here for a tour of the stained glass windows in the Museum

Click here for photo tour of these historic structures.