Video – Gates of The Great Synagogue

Gates of The Great Synagogue: Historical Documentary
Researched and produced by Jana Vytrhlik & Zac Levi 
 
When the architect Thomas Rowe (1829-1899) won the Synagogue design competition in 1874, the massive iron gates shielding the Elizabeth Street entrance were not part of his original plans. The gates were commissioned by the Synagogue board a year or so later and it is possible that Thomas Rowe also designed the attractive decoration. The ornamental metal foundry of Sydney based Fletcher Bros. was assigned the manufacture and the gates were installed soon after the consecration of the new Synagogue in March 1878 at the cost of over 400 Pounds.

Over the years, exposed to the elements of Sydney weather, the cast iron gates required constant maintenance and frequent repairs. In 2020 it was discovered that the gates had rusted away with considerable damage to the supporting columns. Architect George Bensen and heritage consultant Zoltan Kovacs prepared a Heritage Application and funding grant was secured from the Federal Government. The Synagogue assigned David Newman as the project director and contracted the late John Toner, director of the Scobie McIntosh Pty Ltd in Caringbah, NSW to undertake the complex restoration of the heritage gates between 2021 and 2022.
 
 This video documents the mammoth task of gates renovation step by step.