On June 8, the Daniel Libeskind-designed Contemporary Jewish Museum, inSan Francisco, opened its doors after two years of construction. Whilethe building failed to impress a critic for The New York Times, it mostly has garnered favorable reviews.The $47.5 million project entailed the conversion of a century-old,red brick power station and the creation of a striking addition thatjuts out from the building’s west side: an abstract, geometrical volumewrapped in sleek, blue steel. The unusual coupling of claddingmaterials—red brick and steel—is emblematic of the museum’s mission:using contemporary art and programs to explore the Jewish experience,rooted deep in history. Founded in 1984, the museum formerly was located on the fringe ofdowntown. Its new home is in the burgeoning Yerba Buenaarts quarter inthe city’s core. In addition to cultural institutions, the museum sitsamong high-rise hotels and is adjacent to an historic church. For therefurbishment of the power station—designed by Willis Polk in theClassical Revival style and completed in 1907—Libeskind retained manyof the building’s original features, from the gray-painted catwalks onthe inside to the terra cotta cherubs adorning the exterior. Indesigning the overall project, the architect says his greatestchallenge was “to work in a space where everything seemspredetermined—behind a church, behind a wall, under a hotel.” This, hesays, reflects a quintessentially Jewish idea: “to be caught in all thegivens” and yet assert one’s identity. The Polish-born Libeskind infused the 63,000-square-foot projectwith Jewish symbolism. The shape of the 5,500-square-foot steel-cladaddition, for instance, was inspired by the Hebrew letters chet and yud, which together form the word chai,which means “alive” or “living.” The elongated “chet” portion comprisesexhibition space and activity rooms, while the “yud” portion—shapedlike a titled cube—contains a gift shop and special events gallery. Ona wall inside the lobby, a permanent lighting installation forms thefour letters of the Hebrew word “pardes.” This word generally refers tothe four approaches to interpreting holy scripture. In a June 9 article in The New York Times,Edward Rothstein undermined these symbolic moments {“Lines in theceiling of an auditorium are apparently based on paths to the Holy Landon a 15th-century map—a purely private conceit,” he writes.} He alsofound fault with the building’s “skewed geometries,” which he sayscreate an “effect that is more vertiginous than harmonious.” Othercritics, however, have liked the building. In The Architects’ Newspaper,Mitchell Schwarzer, a professor and architectural historian, says it“works.” “Because of its small size, its mix of old and new elements,and its rhythms that oscillate between the restless and restful,” hewrites, “Libeskind’s CJM presents a nuanced and enlightenedarchitectural experience.” Christopher Hawthorne, architecture criticfor the Los Angeles Times,says the “calm, elegant presence” of the old power station offers anice counterpoint to the off-kilter, steel-clad addition. “And inside,”he writes, “the frenetic quality that marks some of Libeskind’s workhas been replaced by a complex but self-assured series of spaces.” Museum director Connie Wolf said they selected Libeskind for theproject based on his design of the Felix Nussbaum Museum {1998} innorthern Germany. He also designed the Jewish Museum Berlin {1999},Danish Jewish Museum {2003} and the Denver Art Museum {2006}—all ofwhich contain his signature angled walls. For the San Francisco project, Libeskind worked with the local firmsWRNS Studio and Architectural Resources; Handel Architects designed the38,000-square-foot public plaza that fronts the museum.
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