Improvements slated for Jewish Community Center

This old house will be transformed into an arts and culture center.

The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia is expanding. A groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 25 ushered in the start of a project to transform the old white house in front of the center on Little River Turnpike into an arts and culture arts center.

The old house, the original home of the JCCNV when it was established in 1980, has been vacant since the center’s current building opened in 1990.

The design for the new art and culture center.

The renovated building will be used for small to mid-size performances, such as poetry readings; a dance studio; rehearsal space; a dairy catering kitchen, and a coffeehouse. It could be rented for special events.

The project could be completed in 18 months, depending on how long the permitting process takes, says  JCCNV spokesperson Laura Adler.

The JCCNV

The JCCNV board of directors hopes to raise $6.5 million for that project and other improvements and has already raised $5.5 million. The center’s board has pledged $1 million of those funds for outreach programming.

“We want to connect more of the 90,000 people in the Jewish community in Northern Virginia to Jewish life,” says board president Scott Brown. “The new outreach effort will bring programming to other areas of the county, and the JCCNV will carry out an effort to understand what kind of programs and services people want.”

The design for a new fitness center.

Future plans for the JCCNV call for a new 3,800-square foot fitness center on the site currently occupied by a playground. It will be more than twice as big as the current fitness center and will have all new equipment. The existing center will be repurposed for personal and small-group fitness training.

The JCCNV’s main building is also going through some renovations. The lobby and art gallery have already been upgraded, and new retractable seating will be installed in the auditorium.