The book is a history of Wilshire Boulevard Temple (originally Congregation B'Nei B'Brith), the oldest Synagogue in Los Angeles (1862) and how the Temple and the members of the congregation were and are part of the fabric of the City of Los Angeles The temple's renovation was led by Levin and Associates. Founded in 1980 by Harvard-educated architect Brenda A. Levin, the urban planning and architecture firm, Levin and Associates, received worldwide attention early in the decade for its revitalising historic preservation work on some of Los Angeles' most-beloved landmarks. In the intervening 20 years, the firm's profound concern for enhancing urban memory and the humanity of a project has positioned it to be an active problem solver in the issues and neighbourhoods of a complex city and region. The scope of Levin and Associates' work includes urban design and master planning, large-scale renovation and adaptive re-use of historic buildings, and the design of new institutional, commercial, and multi-family housing facilities. Geographically, the firm's project sites blanket Southern California. For twenty years the firm's designs have built upon the existing context, responding to the site by understanding the life of the street, museum or campus. This philosophy is evident in its urban design and streetscape planning projects throughout Southern California?Levin and Associates' inclusive approach to designing on the campus begins with an outreach component that initiates dialogue with the various constituencies of the institution. The result is to gain an in-depth understanding of the culture and spirit of the place. AUTHOR: Tom Teicholz is an award-winning journalist who has created content for Intel, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance and the Huffington Post. He is a devoted member of Wilshire Boulevard Temple. Tom Bonner has been photographing architecture for over 25 years. He photographs projects for some of the world's most notable architects and has been published internationally. 280 photographs
