The city of Vinnytsia plans the large-scale restoration of a historic synagogue building long used as a sports facility.
The city issued a tender describing the red brick building as “an architectural monument of local importance.” It will allocate more than 46 million hryvnias, or around €900,000 for the project.
The synagogue was built in 1903 in neo-gothic style, designed by the city architect Grigorii Artynov, with financing from Dr. Isaac Reicher, a member of a wealthy local family.
According to a summary of the planned project on i-vin.info, the work will include: restoration of the facades, strengthening of the building structure, repair of the roof, and preservation of the building’s historical elements. Restorers will also work on the internal elements of the building – a wooden gallery, stairs and metal structures.
One of the key areas will be the restoration of facades. Workers must clean the surfaces, restore damaged brickwork, restore the seams and return the decorative elements of the building. Part of the brick, which has lost its shape due to destruction, is planned to be recreated using special technologies.
The future contractor, it states, must confirm experience with architectural monuments and have relevant specialists.
The Soviets turned the synagogue into a sports center in the 1920s, and it is used as a children’s sports facility today.
“Despite the change of purpose, the building retained the main architectural features and remains one of the few examples of sacred Jewish architecture of the early twentieth century in Vinnytsia,” the i-vin report says.