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We are seeking examples of exemplary religious architecture from around the world, throughout time, and from all faiths, whose design embodies the transformative spiritual process that occurs when a group of individuals are joined by spirit into a community.

K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Congregation

KAM Isaiah Israel is the oldest synagogue in Chicago, founded in 1847 as Kehilath Anshe Maarav (KAM), the Congregation of the Men of the West. In 1971 KAM merged with Isaiah Israel to become a leader in the Reform movement

Alfred S. Alschuler, Sr., designer of K.A.M. Isaiah Israel, was inspired by Justinian's 6th century San Vitale in Ravenna. Alschuler developed the exterior and interior of the building as one, each modifying to a certain degree the design and aspect of the other. The building is octagonal in plan and surmounted by a low tile dome. Alschuler's belief that Byzantine architecture contains certain ancient Jewish concepts was based on recent excavations of ancient synagogues in Palestine.

Alfred Alschuler described the building in the September 1924 issue of Inland Architect magazine thus: "The Auditorium is enclosed by walls forming an octagon rising high above and dominating the adjoining portions of the building. This octagonal space is surmounted by a lofty dome supported on penetrating vaults springing from eight piers free standing from within. It was hoped that this would produce a dignified interior, unmistakably a temple devoted to the worship of God. In order to develop the necessary seating capacity and still maintain a room whose dimensions would not place any part of the congregation too remote from the pulpit, a balcony had to be introduced. This was planned semi-circular in form following the center of the dome and being keep shallow to preserve at the main floor level vision of the arches and piers from which the dome would spring.

The smokestack, necessarily tall to meet the demand for an efficient heating plant, was treated to assume the aspect of a minaret. We felt justified in applying the Tower of Prayer of Moslem origin to a synagogue feeling its aesthetic meaning and its picturesqueness were preferable to the factory-like appearance the stack otherwise would have assumed."

Alfred Alschuler's son, John, architect of the Chapel and Community Hall built in 1973, wrote the following about the Main Sanctuary: "This is a large sanctuary seating 1,100 people; the seating is circular for congregants to feel the warmth of their fellow congregants in prayer. The bima protrudes into the sanctuary to bring the rabbi and the congregation closer together, while the dome is lofty and monumental, but the scale of the space is not intimidating."

The building was designated an official Chicago landmark in 1977. K.A.M. Isaiah Israel is located at 1100 E Hyde Park Blvd, Chicago, IL 60615-2810

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