Jewish Developers and the Built Environment

In this history of early Jewish community in Montgomery County (1930-1979) Clare Lise Kelley explores the emergence of Jewish community with a focus on the built environment.

Jewish developers played a major role in the county’s mid-century building boom and their work served to foster Jewish community life. The presentation features developers who created residential and commercial developments and provided religious centers and recreation facilities which supported and attracted Jewish residents. Representative projects include Indian Spring Golf and Country Club, Montgomery Jewish Community Center, Kemp Mill Estates. Early synagogues dating from the 1950s-1970s were designed by leading modernist architects. This talk draws upon the author’s study of mid-century modern architecture in Montgomery County, published in the award-winning book, Montgomery Modern, and also builds on the work of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington’s exhibit and book Jewish Washington: Scrapbook of an American Community.

This presentation took place at the History Conference 2017 hosted by Montgomery County Historical Society
www.MontgomeryHistory.org

Germantown campus, Montgomery College

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