Vol. I, No. 2 / Summer 1997
Getty Funds in Spisska Podhradie Restoration
Getty Funds Restoration in Spisska Podhradie, Slovakia
Photo:
Synagogue in Spisska Podhradie, Slovakia. © Henry Siegel 1997In December 1996, the Getty Grant Program of the JP Getty Trust awarded $20,000 to the restoration of the synagogue in Spisska Podhradie, Slovakia (see JHR, March 1997). The project identification grant is funding phase I of the renovation of the small 19th-century structure. This includes compilation of historical and architectural materials, preparation of design proposals and documentation of the existing structure -- vacant since the Second World War. The project will require four more phases: 1) restoration of the interior and exterior, 2) construction of museum and exhibition facilities, 3) landscaping of the courtyard/garden area, and 4) raising an operating budget for the first year. Work began with a new roof in 1995, the first stage in making the building watertight. The proposed designs make a strong effort to adhere to the original architecture and experts are to be consulted regarding specific restoration plans. A few aspects of the proposed design, however, such as the removal of the women’s gallery in the final interior bay in order to provide a better concert setting, still have to be fully resolved. At issue is the degree in which historic synagogues, especially those which stand as typical examples of a class of vanished buildings can be altered to meet new needs without compromising their historic identity. The two-story synagogue was originally constructed in 1872, damaged by fire and later rebuilt in 1906.