770 Architect’s Grandchildren Return for a Visit

After hearing how famous 770 had become, Bob Kline and Susan Kline, grandchildren of 770’s architect, came to visit and receive a short tour of the building that their grandfather had designed.

By Anash.org reporter

After hearing how famous 770 had become, Bob Kline and Susan Kline, grandchildren of 770’s architect, came to visit and receive a short tour of the building that their grandfather had designed.

Their grandfather, Edwin Kline, was a Jew who lived in Great Neck, Long Island. He had been a prominent architect in the mid 1930s when a Jewish doctor commissioned him to build a private residence and clinic for himself on Eastern Parkway. That building later became Chabad’s World Headquarters, and dozens of Chabad Houses worldwide bear its distinct design.

Bob and Susan decided to visit 770 after a reporter from The Forward called them for an interview while researching the history of 770. When they learned how famous their grandfather’s design had become, they wanted to see it themselves.

Bob and Susan were given a short tour of the building. In the library exhibition on the third floor of 770, Rabbi Shalom Dover Levin pointed out the decorative features that their grandfather had designed. Rabbi Chaim Baruch Halberstam also showed them interesting details in the building. They visited the shul and the WLCC broadcast room.

Although they are not Jewish, Bob and Susan were very proud to see how their grandfather’s design has become an international symbol of Jewish life.