Our Building
A MOMENT OF TRUTH
A NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMED
In Rochester stands a cultural treasure in urgent need of rescue.
But there’s something even more precious at stake: A beloved neighborhood exploding with creative energy — and in need of a place to house it. Ornate carvings. Stained glass. Open spaces and room to grow. The former Congregation B’nai Israel has been vacant for many years, but much of its beauty survives, as does its historic importance. Like the neighborhood where it sits, enormous potential lives here. We can infuse it with new vitality. The goal: to give this space a long, vibrant life as the Center for Performing and Visual Arts.
The blueprints and paperwork are done. We’re ready to go.
With many ways to give, now is the time to commit to the vision we can build together.
A Renaissance at the heart of Rochester.
In recent years, neighbors have come together to revitalize the Rochester community, street by street. New development and infrastructure improvements are already happening along important corridors. Adding this major renovation to the momentum will be transformative. We’re creating more than a permanent home for the organization — we’re building a cultural hub for everyone within Rochester and beyond. The Center for Performing and Visual Arts will serve every resident in the community and everyone throughout the region who loves the arts: music, dance, theater, and visual arts.
Watch our community in action.
Center for Performing and Visual Arts
Fast Facts
Original use:
Congregation B’nai Israel
Street address:
692 Joseph Avenue, Rochester, NY 14621
Year built:
1928
Square feet:
11,000
Original architect:
Louis Friedman
Current Architect:
Pardi Partnership, Architects
Lead contractor for renovation:
Gallina Development
Performance hall seating planned:
330
Other uses planned:
In addition to music, theater, dance, visual arts, and a gallery, the Center for Performing and Visual Arts will house practice space, community meeting space, and a permanent historical exhibit chronicling the neighborhood
Cost: $4.7 Million
$2.8 Million raised to date
Named a 2021 Five to Revive
by the Landmark Society of WNY
But we need your help, and soon,
We have seen countless people unified through the arts, people who now share our vision of the future. But to fulfill that vision, we need your help. Our organization has experienced explosive growth year after year and we are now at a decisive moment; we’ve grown as large as we can without transforming this centerpiece into a revolutionary performance space to continue our vital mission. But time is critical and the moment is now. Without your support today, the building will eventually be beyond repair. Which is why we’re embarking on an ambitious and achievable goal right now.
And we’re asking you to contribute in a big way.
Every transformation begins with a moment of truth. This is yours.
The arts provide people with ways to express themselves. To channel their creative energies. To experience a bigger world by seeing what’s possible in others’ performances. This project will truly unify the diverse Rochester community around an inclusive, vibrant cultural landmark that will bring people together through the arts. We’ve lived up to our commitment since our 2014 founding—and helped fuel a city neighborhood’s inspiration and transformation from within. Now we’re reaching out to you to help us realize the dream of renovating a landmark building—and reinvigorating a city neighborhood through the arts.
“I am pleased to write this letter in support of the JAACA Capital Campaign. I have watched the evolution of the Arts and Cultural Center from a concept to a reality, because of the commitment and passionate convictions of a dedicated group of citizens who saw the potential for an entirely different and unimagined use of a long-abandoned inner-city synagogue.
Throughout my career in public service, I have passionately advocated for the adaptive reuse of iconic neighborhood buildings, especially in communities where hope and creativity have been overwhelmed by despair and disinvestment. I have also been a proud champion of the arts, and a witness to how the arts have been an intrinsic component of what makes our city among the most vibrant in the nation.
The Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance has been an arts leader since its inception and has grown to become one of our city’s most critical ambassadors of arts equity and access for all of Rochester’s residents—leading the charge to create more inclusivity and collaboration throughout our community. As they convert their historic landmark building into a Center of Performing and Visual Arts, they are establishing a permanent home for the vast fabric of institutions, educators, and performers that enrich our lives.
I wholeheartedly believe in their vision and look forward to witnessing the Center’s role in our region as a beacon of community-wide participation in arts education and performance.”
“Now that people are talking about building a performing arts center, I would like to go there, every day - after school, after church. Every day. It’s going to change everything.”
“If I keep my son busy, and more open with what’s going on in his own community, he won’t go down the wrong path in life. The performing arts, that’s an A+ for us...let’s get it done. We need it.”
The Ingrams
“I have been a proud supporter of the mission and vision of the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance and the invaluable programs they continue to provide to our community. I know what it means to be an agent for change and to lift up our communities through efforts that cultivate new opportunities, real progress, and which generate a sense of joy within our neighborhoods and in the lives of our city’s residents. The Center for Performing and Visual Arts and what it will mean to children, to families, and to the many members of our community who enter it to enjoy free, world-class arts will create lasting change in our hearts, our minds, and in the lives of so many for generations to come.”
“Being among the first to join the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance in transforming the historic Congregation Bnai Israel synagogue into a state-of-the-art center for performing and visual arts is a critical investment in Rochester that my family and Gallina Development are honored to help realize. Revitalizing a region and engaging a community are at the forefront of the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance’s mission and fundamental to the Gallina family’s giving in the city we call home. We believe all members of the community deserve great art, and great art deserves an unrivaled home. Witnessing the Alliance’s ceaseless efforts and consistent growth year-over-year renews our commitment to their cause and inspires us to ask you to join with us.”
A message from our President
Since its inception, the Joseph Avenue Arts and Culture Alliance has been hard at work helping our community to rediscover its intrinsic promise and vitality. One of the most powerful ways to make it happen: by recognizing the timeless truth that we all have something to express. That’s the beauty of our shared humanity. And it’s why we’re committed to bringing music, dance, theater, and visual arts to families and children throughout our neighborhood—and throughout Rochester.
The centerpiece of our efforts: transforming a landmark former synagogue into an 11,000 square-foot performance and gallery space. And while we’re at it, we’re also helping to coordinate programming our neighbors can take advantage of right now, from co-sponsoring concerts and dance performances to educational opportunities that inspire kids through collaboration with Rochester’s wonderful education and performance institutions.
The Alliance is excited about the milestones we’ve already achieved—and the promise that lies ahead. Come join with us!
Warmly,
Neil R. Scheier, M.D.,
President, Board of Directors
Will you help us transform the future?
Contact us to learn how you can be involved.
*Required field
Photos of Bnai Israel courtesy of James Bouge.