The 1876 Adas Israel Synagogue, the oldest synagogue building in Washington, has been the centerpiece of the Jewish Historic Society’s activities to tell the story of the significant contributions of the Jewish community to the development of life in the Nation’s Capital. In an effort to further fulfil its mission, The Society has moved the 1876 Synagogue to a prominent new home near Washington’s museum district and is restoring the building to join it to a new adjacent museum. The Museum will provide permanent exhibition space, serve as an educational facility to foster greater understanding of Jewish heritage in the DC community and include family gathering spaces, a classroom/multi-purpose room, offices and proper storage for the Museum’s archival collections.
The project blends historic architecture with new construction, requiring thoughtful approaches to the seamless integration of technology. The Museum is positioned within a broader mixed-use residential and retail parcel that shares incoming technology infrastructure, creating a complex group of stakeholders with whom coordination had to take place. The Phase Shift team provided design and consulting services, including IT infrastructure, Audiovisual systems, and Security systems.