Jonathan Sinay Building Opens in Cherry Hill, NJ
Members of Thriven Design’s multi-disciplinary architectural, engineering, and interior design team were delighted to attend the grand opening for the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey’s (JFSNJ) Jonathan Sinay Building, on Sunday November 24 at JFSNJ’s Weinberg Jewish Community Campus in Cherry Hill, NJ.
The new facility enables older adults and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to spend their day in a safe, engaging environment. The project gave new life to an aging multipurpose building and provides space for two cornerstone day programs: The Aleph Adult Day Center, run by Aleph Home Care a department of JFSNJ; and the To Our Positive Success (TOPS) day habilitation program, administered by Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS).
Thriven Design Team From Left: Retired Principal Eugene Schiavo, AIA, PP; Principal Stephen F. Finkelman, PE, LEED AP, CEM; Principal and Director of Interior Design Claire Van Haren; Architectural Contributor Michael Rosado.
Participants of both programs were present at the Grand Opening as well as the family of Jonathan Sinay, a beloved staff member at the Weinberg Jewish Community Campus. For more than nine years Jonathan has held a variety of positions with JFSNJ and spreads a warm presence across the campus.
The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey selected Thriven Design’s asset preservation design team to lead the renovation, coordinating three integrated disciplines: architecture, building systems engineering, and interior design. The plan for the renovation transformed the building, originally constructed in the 1980s as an educational facility, adding a vibrant “Main Street” gymnasium with indoor storefronts for a hair salon, JSips café, theater room, game room, and more.
The Thriven Design Interiors team brought the vision for an outdoor streetscape to life by lining each “storefront” with trim, installing luxury vinyl floor tiles to resemble cobblestones, and adding illuminated sconces, shutters, and storefront signs. The storefront facades feature bright, distinct colorings and the perimeter of the gym looks like a real street with painted bike lanes and crosswalks.
Two additions were added to the existing structure to make way for various day programs and public spaces. The new spaces are open and flexible, allowing for the renovation to grow and shift as the needs of the building and programming changes with time. The interior finishes were selected with the safety of program participants in mind, and for durability and ease of maintenance. The outside of the building received a full refresh as well, with new finishes for the roof, exterior walls, and trim to update and modernize the building.
Photo Courtesy of The Bannett Group
Photo Courtesy of The Bannett Group
Not only does the new “Main Street” contained within the Jonathan Sinay Building provide a space for socialization, but it also offers a supervised, assisted setting for real-world skills-building and job-training for individuals participating in the TOPS daytime habilitation program, which offers community-based social, educational, and recreational activities for young adults with developmental disabilities.
The Jonathan Sinay Building is also home to The Aleph Adult Day Center, a person-centered approach for older adults to enhance socialization, cognitive engagement, and creative expression while providing much-needed respite for caregivers.
The renovated building includes an inviting outdoor area with adult and handicap accessible exercise equipment, patios, walking paths, and a 4-hole mini golf course, and it is located next to Weinberg Commons, an award-winning residential community that anchors the 18-acre Weinberg Jewish Community Campus.
Thriven Design partnered with Pennrose to provide architectural services toward Weinberg Commons which completed construction in 2020. The development features 128 units of affordable housing for older adults and 8 quad units designed for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The quad units are configured as a 4-bedroom cottage with shared living spaces, communal cooking, covered porches, and support spaces, offering the necessary means to thrive among their peers.
