Posted by:
Amyjo
(
)
Date: July 11, 2019 06:22PM
exminion Wrote:
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> I have never been to the synagogues, and plan to
> go!
I went with my grandmother to B'nai Israel when it was still in use as a Reform synagogue, back in 1973. It was the first time she'd been in it since her mother died in 1918, when grandma became orphaned. Grandma remembered it by the stained glass windows she used to study as a little girl sitting next to her mother during the services.
She was sent away from Salt Lake City after her mother died to Menlo Park, California and raised by her Protestant aunts. She lost all contact with that synagogue and her Jewishness until I took her there with me in 1973 so we could study our Hebrew roots, together.
>
> We still like Trolley Square. Williams-Sonoma is
> fun, but my favorite mid-priced clothing shops are
> gone, and there are a lot of vacant store spaces.
> Gateway has a much nicer feel to it, but a lot of
> those stores have closed down or moved to City
> Creek.
There were many vacant store spaces, especially on the second story. There wasn't much foot traffic there either.
>
> Yes, there must be some incentive to make these
> stores move to City Creek mall.
Someone has mentioned the LDS church gives them a huge tax incentive break if they bring their stores to the City Creek Mall. That would explain why because there's so little business I can't see how they manage to stay in business otherwise. Maybe they even get their retail space rent free? Or at a huge discount.
>
> Malls, in general, are not doing very well,
> everywhere. We prefer the outlets in Park City,
> to the city malls. The parking lot is nicer than
> the "terrifying" City Creek parking garage, and
> the stores are right next to each other, and near
> your car, so there's less walking. The
> salespeople seem nicer and happier.
I haven't been to Park City yet. Hope to get there one of these days just to check it out. The Sundance Film Festival would be fun to visit when it's in town.
> This is OT, because it seems like Mormons are
> always grouchy, and the Mormon influence on
> architecture and appeal is "institutional
> minimalist" or "giganticism", like their ugly
> temples. Not inviting or welcoming.
>
> I agree that Mormon architecture leaves out the
> windows. A plain wall is 10 times cheaper than
> having a window there. That's why.
The stained glass windows are pretty enough I could see why my grandmother would study them as a little girl while she sat through the worship services with her mother. They were a pleasant distraction for her curious mind.
The B'nai Israel temple was "Designed by Philip Meyer, a native of Germany and a nephew of local retail magnate Frederick Auerbach.... It is one of the few remaining structures built by Utah's early pioneer Jews and reflects their importance in the development of the economy, government, and educational institutions of the state. The design of this Romanesque Revival style building was reportedly based on the Fasanenstrasse Synagogue, a famous Jewish temple in Berlin."
I believe the one in Berlin was destroyed during Kristallnacht. And Philip Meyer died in the Holocaust after his return to Germany.
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9PX5_Bnai_Israel_Temple__Salt_Lake_City_Utah