Southern Arizona
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In a world of rapid secularization and declining religious participation, historic sacred spaces face uncertain futures. Desert Diaspora explores how these sites can be meaningfully repurposed, focusing on two of Arizona’s oldest surviving Jewish buildings—Temple Beth Israel in Phoenix and the Stone Avenue Temple in Tucson.

 

​Built by early Jewish settlers, both facilities were outgrown, repurposed, and later rediscovered by descendants who restored them as cultural hubs. Through site visits, archival research, and 

interviews, this project, funded by the Arizona Architecture Foundation, examined their layered histories as successful case studies for preserving religious architecture.

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The findings were published in a four-part series for ARCADE NW, tracing their evolution and broader lessons for adapting sacred spaces in an evolving landscape.

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PUBLISHERS • ARCADE NW 

GRAPHIC DESIGN • Elyssa Yim

GRANT FUNDING • Arizona Architecture Foundation