Art Deco Temple Restoration Celebration

Mazel Tov! Regina O’Brien and Hardy Wronske’s restoration of the former Mogen David Temple in the Angeles Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles has been completed just in time for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year! They have invited the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, WAHA and their supporters to tour the temple to celebrate.

The event will consist of a presentation on the cultural history of the space, the restoration journey (including period correct landscaping)  and tour, with an interlude of musical entertainment by Janet Klein who will sing Hebrew Vaudeville songs for your listening or dancing pleasure - and there will be refreshments! Following Janet Klein’s performance she will DJ recorded vintage music for dancing on the spacious, original wooden floor (only recently uncovered for the first time in decades!).

The tour will include access to the 22 stained glass windows, both stages, the backstage dressing rooms, the upstairs apartment and offices as well as the grounds.

Tickets are non-refundable. For limited space events there is always a waiting list. You can contact us to be matched with a buyer. Please message us through this website.

HISTORY OF THE BUILDING:

The Mogen David Congregation began in the Gramercy neighborhood near West Adams, in 1925 in a private home. The Ladies Auxiliary raised $50,000 to build a synagogue for the congregation in a neighborhood that was drawing more affluent and acculturated Jews West from the Boyle Heights area. That building was designed in an Art Deco style by David Carthage Coleman and was built by contractor Samuel J. Fishkin in the W.G. Nevins tract. Dr. Gershon Epstein was the rabbi at the time that the temple opened on September 20, 1933. See the Los Angeles Times clipping below for the newspaper article announcing the opening. Also, according to this story, the Jewish population in Los Angeles numbered around 75,000 people.

By the early 1950s the Jewish population was moving even further west and the congregation began looking for property in a neighborhood that would better serve its members. They landed on Pico Boulevard where they remain today. In 1957 the Gramercy Place property was converted into the Church of Divine Guidance, a non-denominational Black Christian congregation founded by Dr. Clayton Donovan Russell. In 2020 the church closed during the pandemic and were forced to sell the building.

Longtime preservationist Regina O’Brien and her husband Hardy Wronske purchased he property and commenced a restoration and renovation of the 7,200 square foot property.

PARKING
The building did not originally have parking as the members of the synagogue would walk to services. Parking in this residential neighborhood is challenging. Only street parking is available. We are looking into some paid parking in the immediate area. Arriving by Uber or Lyft is also a good idea. We are working on finding a parking lot to use for the event. Details will be on our website.