Boston Center for Jewish Heritage 

at the Historic Vilna Shul

Boston,Massachusetts

The 1919-1920 Vilna Shul on Beacon Hill is Boston's last intact early 20th century synagogue building. Its sanctuary interior has recently been recommended for landmark status by the Boston Landmarks Commission due to its architectural significance as an intact building type and its historical value to Jewish history in Boston.

The Vilna Center for Jewish Heritage, Inc. was founded in 1990 to restore the shul and create a cultural and educational facility at the site. In addition to restoring the sanctuary, ancillary spaces will be remodeled to house an exhibition gallery, research library, archive, administrative offices and an elevator providing accessibility for the disabled and improving life safety. A thorough physical rehabilitation of the previously abandoned building will be required, along with space planning, existing conditions documentation and specifications for construction. Work will proceed according to fundraising capabilities. When completed, the center will welcome visitors and add to the cultural and historical wealth of the Historic Beacon Hill District.
Before preservation   After preservation
Vilna Shul before (left) and after (right) exterior preservation.
The interior of the Vilna Shul appears today as a serene environment preserving a high degree of integrity of architectural form and design. Even more significantly, the original Aron Kodesh and Bimah along with many furnishings and fittings remain untouched since the door closed for worship in the mid-1980's. Recent restoration work on the exterior has completed repairs to the building envelope. Inside, the investigation of architectural fabric has uncovered surprising and stunning findings. Beneath the off-white paint now covering the walls are at least three different generations of decorative painting. These treatments appear to recall vivid colors and dense designs that ornamented the synagogues of Poland and Lithuania. Most of the original congregants of this immigrant shul in fact emigrated from Vilna Lithuania. The next phase of restoration will focus on the interior treatment of this extraordinary place.
Interior   Ark

top
back