Kol Rinah

Kol Rinah, which means “Share Your Voice”, is the merger of two Conservative congregations. Neither existing facility no longer met the needs of the 400-member congregation; additionally the geographical location was no longer considered ideal. Finegold Alexander worked with Kol Rinah to determine the feasibility of the congregation swapping facilities with an existing church located adjacent to the commercial and residential centers of Clayton.

The proposal renovates the existing school wing of the Church for administrative use and an early childhood center. The existing Sanctuary is reoriented on its short axis. This orientation, together with cascade seating to be installed at the northerly and southerly ends of the Sanctuary, creates a “chapel” within the 300-seat space to accommodate as few as ten for morning Minyan. A suspended diaphanous wood slat system mutes the vaulted pseudo-Gothic wood arches of the ceiling.

A new two story circulation spine connects an accessible entry with the new Community Court and Sanctuary. This spine creates a new identity for Kol Rinah, and functions as a gallery for the congregation’s significant liturgical art, metaphorically joining, sharing their voices.