Combined Jewish Philanthropies
Boston, MA

This addition/renovation  successfully transforms an anonymous downtown office building into a gracious home for a philanthropic  organization while creating a unified and forward-looking urban presence appropriate to the character of the financial district.

In establishing its headquarters in downtown Boston, the Combined Jewish Philanthropies had two fundamental goals: to create a positive identity and enduring presence for the organization and its community and to contribute to the life and revitalization of downtown Boston.

A new entry lobby is welcoming with its dramatic tall ceiling and stone carved wall of donors. At the top floor, a conference center and a large pre-function area just outside of the conference spaces provides  a panoramic view for receptions and informal gatherings.

The design creatively solves the challenge of unifying, externally and internally, an existing structure which was made up of several vertical additions. This is accomplished by thoroughly re-detailing the façade to unify the additions and by creating a tower entrance which provides a suitably monumental marker and distinguishes it from its commercial neighbors.