By COLlive reporter
The yellow and brown staircase connecting the main shul with the “upstairs” entrance floor of 770 Eastern Parkway has been renovated and completed in time for Rosh Hashana.
Rabbi Chaim Baruch Halberstam from the ‘bedek habayis’ maintenance committee, oversaw the renovations with modern gray tiles and new flooring on the steps.
The Rebbe would often use the staircase to walk down from his office to the main shul for davening, farbrengens and public addresses. In later years, the Rebbe would only use it during Shabbos and Yomim Tovim (and the elevator during the weekdays).
Those overseeing the renovations say they made it a point to keep the original handrails intact – the iron on one side, the wooden on the other – which the Rebbe used. They were, however, repainted.
There was always a door on the landing with a handrail on it, what did that door lead to?
There was nothing behind that door. After the second expansion of 770 that back area was expanded, specifically the area under the ezras nashim. Whatever room was there was added to the main area of 770, and instead of taking away the door, they nailed it shut and put a banister in front of it. Now that they redid it, there is no reason to keep a door there.
I may be slightly off, but that is the general gist of it.
…now it looks like a hallway in any Shul in the world. I wish they would’ve kept the coloring and feel exactly the same, just freshened it up.
The Rebbe Shlit”a
and we will have a farbrengan where we see The Rebbe with our freshly eyes mi’matah ba’asarah tefachim walk down these holy steps be’beis Rabeinu!
It’s nice , really thank you for keeping place functional and new, but the new design looses the original authentic look. Maybe next time check with all who are doing restorations if antiques not renovations. As a new generation we would like to see how it was and how all saved for us as artifacts .
So true! Yes, thanks for renovating but remember there’s only ONE 770 and little by little it’s amazing history can be “restored” away. I’m also sad to see the yellow walls and original steps gone ;-(
How can they completely tile off an existing door?
What happens to the old materials?
Why does it look so different? I’m too young to have been there with the Rebbe and I don’t appreciate a different look.
Keep it the same!
To me you left out the most important picture What was behind the door? I may have not been the only one to wonder what was behind the door by the staircase that was taken off
This was not the staircase the rebbe usually used, there was another staircase in gan eden hatachton that he would use
For all those complaining about the new look, 770 is a functional shul and needs to be kept that way in a cost effective, practical, convenient and nice manner for those who daven and learn there. You are all more then welcome to open a chabad museum and recreate all the old feel you all so badly want to preserve and pay what museums pay to keep and preserve old artifacts. Just think for a minute if the Rebbe would appreciate spending extra and keeping 770 less practical so that certain people should be able to have Nostalgia when they… Read more »
nice i love it thank you