Credit: Alexander Severin

Center for Jewish History, The David Berg Rare Book Room

Designed as a contemporary jewel box, the Rare Book Room at The Center for Jewish History is secure yet transparent, serving as both an archival repository and a venue for revolving exhibits.

The Center for Jewish History brings together the resources of five institutions that specialize in Jewish cultural research, analysis, preservation, and interpretation. The Center is housed in a facility designed by BBB in 1996, and The David Berg Rare Book Room is a new, state-of-the-art exhibition and shared central holdings space for The Center's collection of rare books, first editions, illuminated manuscripts and letters dating back hundreds of years. The room is lined with custom archival bookcases with glass-front doors for the secure yet visible display of books; smaller millwork pieces in the center include storage drawers for larger folios and flat files. The two perimeter walls combine archival exhibition vitrines with glass "viewing" walls that enable the public to see inside the room; touchscreen technology and digitized volumes allow visitors to engage with material in unprecedented ways.

 

Client

Center for Jewish History

Location

New York, NY

Size

500 SF

Completed

2013

Construction Cost

$1.2 million

People

FAIA, AICP
Founding Partner
Partner-in-Charge