The Byzantine dome of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple of Los Angeles. Photo: Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple of Los Angeles is set to receive a $150 million renovation, one of the largest budgets ever for a synagogue renovation, the New York Times reported. The 2,400-family congregation has so far raised $121 million for the work, which includes an expansion that will incorporate a school and community center.

Steven Z. Leder, the synagogue’s senior rabbi, told the Times that he’s “not going to be the rabbi that turns this place into a church,” explaining how the decision to invest will allow the Temple to capitalize on demographic changes in the area and convenient nearby subway stops that will aid outreach to young families.

In the past, the synagogue was well attended by film magnates, including  Irving G. Thalberg, the producer, and all three Warner brothers, who commissioned Hollywood art director Hugo Ballin to paint  murals along its walls depicting stages of Jewish history, through 1929.