Kaplan Construction has been awarded construction of Chabad at Chestnut Hill, a new 23,000-square-foot center designed to serve the growing Jewish community in Chestnut Hill and nearby Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, and Roslindale.
The project combines two former residential properties into a single site and brings a broad program under one roof, including a synagogue, social hall, preschool and religious school classrooms, a commercial kitchen, a Mikvah, administrative offices, and outdoor gathering spaces. Plans for the exterior include stone along with other envelope materials, and the site plan calls for a rear courtyard, a playground, and masonry veneered walls.
Before vertical construction moved forward, the team completed extensive site preparation. With solid ledge under most of the site, Kaplan used drilling and blasting to get the footprint ready while limiting impacts on neighboring properties. The below-grade Mikvah drove additional excavation, including removing up to 20 feet of ledge in some areas. The work also ran into unexpected groundwater, leading to a temporary dewatering system that operated continuously for nearly three months while the structure was built and waterproofed.
For trade partners, the story is a clear reminder that exterior masonry scope lives or dies on early coordination. Rock removal, below-grade waterproofing, and groundwater control set the schedule for when crews can move to exterior work, especially where multiple materials meet, like stone, stucco, and lead-coated copper.
Construction is underway, with completion scheduled for late summer 2027. The project team includes owner Chabad Lubavitch at Chestnut Hill, owner’s representative Jonathan Lavash Project Management, LLC, construction manager Kaplan Construction, architect Adolfo Perez Architect, and engineers and consultants Roome & Guarracino Engineering, Allied Consulting Engineering Services, Verne T. Porter Associates, Ryan Associates Landscape Architecture & Planning, and Geotechnical Consultants Inc.
Read the full, original article from NEREJ here.