The former Congregation B’nai Israel synagogue sat empty for decades. The property, with its dramatic arching dome and stained glass windows by pioneering abstract artist Jean-Jacques Duval, closed in 1995 and remained a dormant beauty on Negley Avenue in the East End.

The historic site recently came back to life when BOOM Concepts, a Black-led arts organization based in Garfield, announced that it would move into the space, creating what a press release describes as a “cultural center and headquarters, enhancing BOOM’s support for Black artists and creative entrepreneurs.” Now in the early stages of a multi-year renovation, the space will eventually become the Rotunda Collaborative, hosting events ranging from exhibitions to concerts, and serving as an inclusive hub for artists and community members in Garfield and other Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

On May 15, The Rotunda Collaborative and committee members hosted Raising the Roof on the Rotunda, a community event that invited the public inside the 327 N. Negley Ave. site and showcased what will soon become a “flexible, 500-seat arts and events center.” Crowds donning hard hats and other protective gear — what an event description dubbed “Construction Site Casual” — toured the pre-renovated Rotunda as drummers and other performers provided entertainment.

In a joint statement, BOOM cofounders DS Kinsel and Thomas Agnew tell Pittsburgh City Paper that they “spent the past two years exploring potential locations” for their forever home, adding that, since 2020, the organization has “hosted few — if any — programs” at their longtime storefront location on 5139 Penn Avenue.

“We knew that when we returned to in-person programming, we wanted it to be on a larger scale,” they explain. “Our goal has always been to grow our capacity to produce events and evolve how we engage with artists, patrons, and neighbors.”

They drew on their strong relationship with the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, saying that “partnering with their team on this new neighborhood development project felt like a natural fit.”

The Boston-based development firm Beacon Communities originally acquired the property in 2022 to construct a reported 45 mixed-income housing units, as well as an urban farm and water-reclamation system. Kinsel and Agnew say Beacon invited BOOM to produce a public art project on the construction fence during Beacon’s phase of the redevelopment, which created what are now the Carina Apartments located in the adjoining school portion of the former synagogue.

Kinsel and Agnew say renovations on the Rotunda are slated for the fall and will begin restoring the building’s electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and structural systems. From there, they say they need to “repair and insulate the walls, add a new set of bathrooms and catering area at the rear of the structure, replace the roof, level the floor, install removable seating, and, in a final phase, build out a stage and other accommodations for a flexible theater space.”

“We also need to secure off-site parking facilities if we’re to host any larger types of events when the renovations are mostly finished,” they add.

Should all go to plan, the Rotunda will open in September 2029. Kinsel and Agnew hope that, before then, the city will allow them to “begin hosting smaller types of events and programming that would be ‘pop-up’ in nature” at the facility.

While the Rotunda marks a major move for BOOM, Kinsel and Agnew stress that it only strengthens their commitment to Garfield. Last year, BOOM, with support from the VisitPittsburgh tourism nonprofit, hosted a takeover of Unblurred, the monthly art crawl along the Penn Avenue business district in Garfield, featuring exhibitions across six participating locations.

“Over the past 11 years, we’ve participated in Unblurred in many ways — from hosting exhibitions and events on-site, to creating public art activations along the avenue, to supporting, sponsoring, and providing scholarships for night market vendors,” they explain. “The BOOM team has also contributed to post-Unblurred neighborhood cleanups. Our role in the community continues to evolve — just like the neighborhood itself.”

Since its founding, BOOM has worked to support local artists and fellow Garfield residents, hosting residencies and youth programs. In 2020, City Paper named BOOM as one of Pittsburgh’s People of the Year for their various community projects and their efforts to help community members during the pandemic, with “everything from fundraising to helping distribute meals to those in need.”

“We are moving to the edge of the neighborhood and hope this space acts as a town square and much-needed entertainment center not only for Garfield, but for all East End neighborhoods and Greater Pittsburgh,” they say, adding that their current headquarters sits less than a mile away.

They believe that, once completed, the Rotunda Collaborative will be “an intentional community arts organization that will develop partnerships and identify arts organizations to activate the space.”

“We are excited about how the space will host and hold different partners.”