On the heels of the unanimous vote to return to the JCC building on Amity Road, the building steering committee immediately got to work to vette 4 proposals from architectural firms. It was an exhaustive and rigorous process, and after 4 excellent firms made strong presentations, we are happy to announce that we have selected Svigals + Partners as the architectural firm who will design the refreshed spaces.

The Svigals team headed by Principal-in-Charge Jay Brotman and Project Manager Julia McFadden bring a broad range of experience that will be applicable to our project. They have considered security concerns while designing the new Sandy Hook Elementary School, they have designed educational spaces at Temple Israel in Westport and the Goodwin Early Childhood Magnet in East Hartford, renovated cultural arts spaces like the Little Theater in New Haven and designed the Yale New Haven Hospital, livingwell Fitness Center in New Haven.

 

The Svigals team will work with our JCC/Federation team made up of staff, members and lay leaders to quickly gain input to inform the design process. Svigals will help us to create the best space we can using the proceeds from the insurance settlement. They are also aware of how much our community wants to be back in the building quickly and will help us to balance improvements and speed in the best way possible. Our plans to open the indoor pool, racquetball courts and playscape this summer remains unchanged.

 

In the coming weeks we will continue to update you as progress is made and construction schedules become clearer. We want to offer our appreciation to the leadership of the Federation and JCC and to those volunteering their time on the building steering committee and thank our community for their feedback and support before, during and continuing through this important time.