When the Bialystoker Center and Home for the Aged opened on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on June 21, 1931, more than 25,000 Eastern European Jews came out to celebrate. The distinctive Art Deco tower that rose from the tenements of East Broadway was a glimmer of hope during the depths of the Great Depression. The dedication 25 years after a pogrom that claimed the lives of more than 80 Jews in the Polish city of Bialystok highlighted how far the immigrant community had come.
This October, the building, which closed its doors in 2011 and relocated its last senior residents, will reopen. The tower’s landmarked two-toned tan facade designed by the architect Harry Hurwit has been restored. As has the faux-Hebrew inscription of “Bialystoker” surrounded by roundels of the 12 tribes of Israel above the entrance. Inside, the stained glass windows in what was the retirement home’s synagogue glow anew.
But this time around, there will be no parades, no congratulatory telegrams from the governor’s mansion, and no ceremonial golden mezuzah installation.