Restoring the Iconic Dome of the Historic Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, TX
Temple Beth-El, with its iconic terra-cotta dome, has been a San Antonio landmark for close to a century and is the place of worship for the oldest Jewish organization in Southern Texas. When a hail storm ravaged the dome’s roof in 2016, the search began for a roofing company that was capable of restoring it to prime condition while also preserving its rich past. For the temple’s congregation, there was only one choice: BELDON®.
How We Did It
Due to the many complexities of the dome’s roof and its significance to the local community, the scope of the project was beyond the capabilities of the average roofer. BELDON® specializes in challenging roof replacements and, because of our deep roots in San Antonio, TX, spanning back to 1946, we were honored to be tasked with such an important job.
BELDON®’s staff spent weeks designing the new roof on computer software to ensure the tiles would be arranged precisely as had the original ones. Brad Beldon, CEO of BELDON® Roofing Company, said the goal was to make the dome’s roof look like it had been power-washed instead of replaced. “We worked really hard to preserve its past,” he told a local publication. The next step in that aim was sourcing tiles from Ludowici, the manufacturer that had crafted the original tiles for the dome’s roof back in 1927, still in business after all these years.
When it came time for installation, BELDON®’s crew had to negotiate the dome’s towering 100-foot height and the dangerous winds that occur that high up, and it had to be mindful of religious observances and the children who attended the on-campus elementary school. Even with all these challenges, BELDON®’s commitment to the daunting task at hand resulted in an outstanding success.
A Bright Future for Temple Beth-El
Four months and 33,000 tiles later, the historic dome on Temple Beth-El once again stands tall on San Pedro Avenue, beaconing worshippers from across San Antonio, TX. BELDON® is beyond proud to have restored such an important landmark for the community. If you’d like to learn more about our roofing services, contact us today. We’re a local, family-run roofing company that has been serving the great state of Texas for four generations.
