Insights
A publication of the Marek Family of Companies
WINTER 1995 ”
A Tribute to the Holocaust and illustrate different facets of the Jew ish way of life. For foreman Jim Thompson, working on this unique and unusual project is tak ing skill and careful coordination. Many of the walls not only slope in all direc tions but also curve and change direction, while in one section, the roof terminates at the floor level. A circular structure, symbolizing a smoke stack, starts at the ground level and juts out through the top of the roof. With so many design features to accom modate and a lot of different contractors working at the site, this has proved to be quite a challenging and complex job. But as a key player and contributor, MBS is proud to be involved in the construction of this major community project.
The highly unusual design of the Holocaust museum symbolically pays tribute to the plight of Jewish people in the last world war and their cultural history. The Holocaust killed six million and practically wiped out an entire culture of Jewish people in Eastern Europe. But the people who died have not been forgotten. Now, fifty years later and a continent away, Houston is creating its own memo rial to honor those who lost their lives. The new Holocaust Museum is designed to be a living testimonial to those who died - a place to honor the survivors and a source of education, so that our children and future generations can learn from the mistakes of the past. Built almost entirely from donations. MBS, a key player in the new construc tion, is donating material and providing manpower at cost.
The museum site covers a full city block and includes the 11,000 square foot building and an additional 7,000 sq. ft. annex. The complete facility will include a permanent exhibition gallery, a chang ing exhibition gallery and auditorium, a 100-seat theater, a library and archival areas and interactive learning center, an audiovisual room, memorial area, sculp ture garden and administrative offices. There is nothing routine about the build ing or its layout. The design, conceived by architect Mark Mucasey of Ralph Apelbaum Associates, will symbolically reflect many aspects of the Holocaust with permanent and changing exhibitions tracing the history of the Jewish people
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Jim Thompson and Harvey Davis take a few moments off while working on the interior of the museum.