Masonry Magazine May 1977 Page. 6
Dayton Jewish Home for the Aged
Dayton, Ohio
Architect: Richard Levin Associates, Inc.
General Contractor: Leviton Construction Co.
Mason Contractor: KMCO, Inc. (MCAA)
The Jewish Home for the Aged stands as a striking landmark and a tribute to sophisticated and innovative masonry construction. Referred to by some as a series of "brick boxes," the ultramodern structure is a complex interplay of cubes reflecting internal functions-wings containing residents' rooms, solariums, social areas, and so on.
The interior spaces are varied to make walking an "event." Numerous locations are provided for resting and "watching" within a sequence of high spaces separated by low linkages and alcoves. Clerestories allow natural light throughout the compact plan. The spatial variety creates a more residential scale in the activity areas.
The project resulted when the Dayton Jewish community identified a need for a physical environment to house aged members of the community requiring nursing care. Resources and needs suggested providing space for 42 patients with public and operational facilities adequate to handle a planned future expansion of 42 beds.
The work of the architectural firm in conceiving the design was summed up nicely in a Dayton newspaper article about the new home. It said: "Brick box might not seem a very elegant descriptive term for a building. But if the box-the cube, the rectangle-is handled with sophistication, the term can be redeemed."
Indeed, the "boxes" in this case have countless redeeming qualities. The high-low cubes have a rhythm uniquely their own. The rectangles are arranged in a manner that keep them from resembling a motel and permit varying visual interest with every few steps one takes, both inside and outside of the complex. Although there is a certain exterior "busyness," the design conforms to complex inner requirements which posed a major design challenge that the architect met head on with notable success.