CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, April 16, 2024 — Cleveland Development Advisors (CDA) has closed on a $2 million loan to help finance predevelopment costs for the redevelopment of the 28-acre Park Synagogue campus in Cleveland Heights. The plan will focus on education, the arts and intergenerational connectivity.
The Park Synagogue Conservative Jewish congregation, which relocated to its new campus in 2005, engaged Sustainable Community Associates (SCA) to develop a plan to preserve and reuse the property and the main synagogue, the historic Mendlesohn Building. The structure is one of four synagogues in the United States designed by German-Jewish architect Erich Mendelsohn and is considered a midcentury modern masterpiece. SCA acquired the property earlier this year.
“We have great hopes for the future of the Park Synagogue property,’’ said Yvette Ittu, President & CEO of CDA. “These plans could be a an excellent approach to pay tribute to the legacy of the former institution while creating a vibrant vision to provide a catalyst for the community.”