"American Synagogues is the first book to explore the exceptional works of architecture of modern American synagogues in the twentieth century. In this book author Samuel Gruber relates the fascinating history of the Jewish people in America and how it is expressed in twentieth-century synagogue design." "The book features all-new photography of synagogues in many styles from a dozen states, many never before published in any form. These include major buildings in the New York area, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Austin, and elsewhere. The synagogues were designed by such European masters as Eric Mendelsohn, Walter Gropius, and Pietro Belluschi, who helped bring modernism to America; and the best-known modern American architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, Harrison and Abramovitz, and Minoru Yamasaki. Many include artwork by Ben Shahn, Louise Nevelson, and other important artists. Striking but little-known synagogues of the post-war period by Percival Goodman, Sidney Eisenshtat, and Werner Seligmann are included. Visually stunning variations on Classical and Deco forms by major early twentieth-century architects, such as Arnold Brunner, Henry Hornbostel, Alfred S. Alschuler, Charles R. Greco, and Philip Trammel Schutze are also featured. Important contemporary works by Norman Jaffe, Thomas Beeby, Will Bruder, Lake/Flatow, Alexander Gorlin and others demonstrate the most recent developments in synagogue design."--Jacket.