Coming to temple to roost, not

Temple Sinai as it looked in 1936. Its tower is undergoing repair. (TOWN OF BROOKLINE)

Since last fall, historic Temple Sinai on Sewall Street has been surrounded by scaffolding as workers repair the gracious Colonial Revival building's landmark tower. But for Coolidge Corner-area residents, more jarring than all the platforms and rigging crosshatching the tower is what's missing - the 2-foot-tall, cast-iron rooster weathervane that has perched atop the spire of the temple's copper dome since the early part of the last century, when the building was a Unitarian church.

In fact, when temple officials decided to undertake the current renovation, it was the rooster that gave the congregation pause. Rabbi Emeritus Frank Waldorf, the temple's rabbi from 1974 to 2004, wanted to preserve the historical authenticity of the building's New England character and return the rooster to its post on top of the dome after repairs are complete, even though it is hardly representative of the temple's spiritual nature.

The heavy weathervane, however, was partly responsible for causing the currently needed repairs, as decades of buffeting by the elements caused major leaking. Congregants voted to sacrifice the rooster, which the temple is now looking to sell, and top the dome with a short spire. In the meantime, renovations on the tower are proceeding according to plans, and Building Committee chairman Marc Cooper says he expects the scaffolding to be down and the paint dry by June.

The building, which was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, was erected in 1916 for the Second Unitarian Society of Brookline. Designed by Edwin J. Lewis, it was situated at the time to overlook Beacon Hill. According to Tom Evarts of Yankee Steeplejack Co., which is doing the repairs, the original building had more architectural embellishments than it has now, such as elaborate balustrade railings around the belfry, and it won an award for its distinctive Colonial Revival style. It's not clear if there was ever a bell in the tower, but the building itself was designed with choral music in mind and has the original 1874 Hutchinson pump organ (though it has since been electrified.)

When the Unitarians outgrew the building in 1944, it was sold to the young Temple Sinai congregation, which had broken off from Temple Ohabei Shalom five years earlier. Led by Beryl D. Cohon, it was the first Reform congregation organized in the Boston area in 85 years. In its more than 60-year history, it has had only four rabbis. Rabbi Andrew Vogel has been the temple's leader since 2004.

In 2002, the temple's Social Hall underwent extensive renovations after a fire, including the installation of an elevator to provide access for the handicapped. The current $200,000 renovation centers on a total refurbishment of the tower with an eye toward preserving the building's historical style. "The key is to do no harm," says architect Don Mills of Mills Whitaker Architects.

And though the rooster won't be seen atop the dome, the renovation helped bring back a feature that hadn't been seen in more than a decade. While investigating the extent of needed repairs two years ago, Cooper discovered burned-out floodlights inside the tower. "I crawled up there and changed the bulbs and asked around until someone finally told me where the switch was, tucked inside a little closet," Cooper says. Now every Friday night, the lights are turned on and three tower windows, each with an illuminated bluish glass Star of David, welcome the Sabbath.

"It's heartening to see all this happening," Waldorf says.

"It's a neighborhood landmark. It helps make Coolidge Corner a special place."

Now, anybody want to buy a rooster?