Related Ross in mid-February paid Temple Israel $32 million for its longtime home along North Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach.
Then, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, Temple Israel paid $13 million for its new home at 2101 N. Australian Ave., facing Clear Lake, according to records filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk’s office.
The transactions mark the end of an era for the house of worship that four years ago began considering the sale of its Intracoastal Waterway property at 1901 N. Flagler Drive.
The transfer also is the start of the next chapter for Temple Israel, which now has a bigger campus for its growing congregation.
Related Ross has said it will demolish the temple building in March to start construction on the Shorecrest condominium. The 28-story building will feature 100 condos, priced from $2.7 million to $7 million.
The property faces the Intracoastal Waterway and Palm Beach. Related Ross recently obtained a $157 million loan for the project from GoldenTree Asset Management.
Temple Israel’s long history in West Palm Beach
Temple Israel is the oldest Jewish organization in Palm Beach County and the only Reform synagogue in West Palm Beach. It was founded 103 years ago, in 1923, by six Jewish families, according to the temple’s website.
The temple acquired its prime property at 1901 N. Flagler Drive property in 1950, then opened the sanctuary in 1953. Some 50 years later, in 1973, the temple celebrated its 50th anniversary with the burning of the mortgage.
During the past five years, the temple has explored a sale of its site because it wanted to build a larger religious school facility, according to members.
At about this time, developers were clamoring for waterfront space for new residences.
Among them is Related Ross, a dominant builder in West Palm Beach. The company is led by billionaire Stephen Ross, a Palm Beach resident and the owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins football team.
Temple leaders vote to ink deal with Ross
In October 2022, temple leaders voted to authorize the sale of their 1.8-acre land to Related Ross because the congregation wanted to build a larger religious school facility, according to members.
Although temple leaders considered other developers, they were impressed by Related’s promise to include the temple in a new condo, plus build a new school.
Related Ross hired notable contemporary architect Roger Ferris for the project, named Shorecrest.
In late 2023, Related Ross started promoting a luxury tower that featured the temple’s sanctuary and offices taking up the first two floors of the tower.
Some 140 condos would be built above the temple space, with prices ranging from $2 million to $10 million.
In addition, a preschool would be built on the ground floor of a parking garage slated on land to the west of the condo tower.
Why Related changed design plan for Shorecrest
But in mid-2024, a few months after pre-sales launched, Related quietly pulled Shorecrest from the market.
Although Ross is a deft dealmaker with office towers, hotels and other residences, nailing the Shorecrest deal took extra effort.
Both Related Ross and the temple said the decision was based on the temple’s desire for greater autonomy. But real estate agents who requested anonymity said would-be buyers shied away from the temple-condo project because of security and parking issues.
After a few months of redesign, Related Ross unveiled a new Shorecrest design in November 2024.
The temple was dropped from the plans, and the number of condos increased to 199 from 140. The prices also dropped.
But tepid buyer interest led Related Ross to rethink this plan, too.
The company subsequently launched its third iteration of Shorecrest, featuring fewer condos at higher prices.
Related Ross officials said they noticed the very wealthy appear less affected by the economy than buyers who could afford to pay only a couple of million dollars per unit.
As part of the project’s changes, Related Ross also struck a new deal with Temple Israel.
The agreement would mean the sale of two-thirds of the eastern portion of the temple’s 1.8-site, but the temple would keep the western, one-third sliver of the property. The site would be sold for additional cash because it is too small for a new temple complex.
The arrangement meant that Temple Israel would have to find a new home, which it did in December.
The last Shabbat service for Temple Israel was held at its waterview location on Jan. 9.
In a recent interview, Temple President Cindy McDonald hailed the new Australian Avenue location and its many possibilities for the congregation.
Temple Israel officials say this building is large enough for a sanctuary, classrooms and offices. The 8.25-acre site also is sufficiently spacious for other uses.
For instance, the buildings could be used by others in the Jewish community, including the Jewish Community Center or the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.
“We have a vision to become a center of Jewish life in central Palm Beach County,” McDonald said.
Alexandra Clough is a business writer at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Temple Israel sells West Palm Beach site, moves to new home
Reporting by Alexandra Clough, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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