As the final part of a three-phase master plan for Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s historic campus in Los Angeles, Dutch firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) will design a new addition to complement the historic sanctuary, a 1929 Byzantine-Revival structure. The $60 million, 55,000-square-foot building will be named the Audrey Irmas Pavilion, honoring the philanthropist and art collector who pledged $30 million, from the upcoming sale of a Cy Twombly painting at Sotheby's New York, to the project.
OMA won the commission in a design competition with 25 other firms. The project, which has a proposed opening of 2019, will be the firm's first commission from a religious institution, and its first cultural building in California. The design team for the pavilion will be based in OMA’s New York office and led by Shohei Shigematsu and Jason Long.
The temple's long-term goal is to expand over the entire city block on Wilshire Boulevard between Harvard and Hobart avenues. The first two phases of the master plan saw the renovation of the sanctuary, school buildings, parking structures, and other facilities. The pavilion will host events for the congregation and greater community, including weddings, bat and bar mitzvah celebrations, galas for nonprofit organizations, and conferences.
The design of the pavilion is still in progress.
