Isaac M. Wise congregation asked Jim Postell and David Lee Smith to renovate Wohl Chapel at Wise Center in Amberly Village, Cincinnati, Ohio. The program includes an entirely new interior including: custom liturgical furnishings, bima (raised platform), lighting, flooring and sound system.
The design solution creates a warm ambiance using woods, glass, and indirect up-lighting washing the brick walls. Etched glass, cherry, maple, and birch surfaces give order to the interior space. The furniture reinforces the design of the chapel and the chapel’s interior developed from the design of the furniture.
The ark is a focal element in the chapel (surrounded by wall-mounted cherry panels) centered on a diagonal skylight aligned with the entrance. The ark is fabricated out of cherry wood, Baltic birch plywood, and Starphire glass.
A significant feature of the ark is its curvilinear glass door etched with Hebrew text. The glass door opens easily - sliding from the right to the left. Torah scrolls within the ark are visible to the congregation when the ark is illuminated. The etched letters and controlled lighting function as a traditional screen incorporated in many arks.
The torah table and lecterns are made of cherry wood and Baltic birch plywood. The parabolic lecterns are adjustable in height. The elliptical torah table is designed with a splayed horizontal surface to receive the torah scroll and is sized to accommodate four adults standing around it during service.
The project has been awarded a Cincinnati Magazine Interior Design Award.