Jewish centre LJCC to close in July after last-ever spring season

The London Jewish Cultural Centre (LJCC) will run its final full season of programmes from January before vacating its historic Golders Green base in July.

The LJCC’s spring programme, running from January to March 2015, will be the centre’s last full season before it merges with Jewish community centre JW3, which opened in Finchley Road last year.

It is expected that the LJCC’s historic Ivy House, in North End Road, Golders Green, will close by the end of July and chief executive Louise Jacobs will step down next month.

In September, the LJCC and JW3 announced plans to join forces and bring the LJCC’s programme of events under the same roof as JW3, a purpose-built £50million community centre.

The LJCC plans to sell Ivy House, famously the home of Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova until her death in 1931, but is yet to find a buyer.

Ms Jacobs, who will become deputy chairman of JW3’s board of trustees, said: “We have a fantastic term ahead. The spring is an amazing term and we are going out on a high in this building.

“People from the LJCC have spent time at JW3 and they are excited about programming there. It’s a time of transition.”

From April, the LJCC will begin moving its programmes to JW3 before closing Ivy House in July.

It is unknown whether JW3 will change its name to reflect the merger with the LJCC.