Fremantle Synagogue | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Judaism (former) |
Ecclesiastical or organisational status |
|
Year consecrated | 1902 |
Status |
|
Location | |
Location | Fremantle , Western Australia |
Country | Australia |
Location in Fremantle , Western Australia | |
Geographic coordinates | 32°03′24.7″S115°44′59.3″E / 32.056861°S 115.749806°E |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Oldham and Eales |
Type | Synagogue architecture |
Style | Romanesque Revival |
General contractor | J. McCracken |
Date established | 1887 (as a congregation) |
Groundbreaking | 8 January 1902 |
Completed | 1902 |
Website | |
Type | State Registered Place |
Designated | 16 November 1993 |
Reference no. | 1010 |
The Fremantle Synagogue is a heritage listed building located on South Terrace on the corner of Parry Street in Fremantle, Western Australia. It was the first synagogue built in Western Australia and was associated with Jewish community leaders and merchants in Fremantle at the end of the 19th century. [1] [2] The building is also known as Beers building. [3] [4] [5]
Laurence Alexander, the manager of Falk and Company, was elected president of the first Jewish congregation established in Fremantle in August 1887. Henry Seeligson acted as lay reader, from September 1888 when weekly meetings were commenced [1] in the barracks on South Terrace. [4] Land was set aside for the purpose of building a synagogue in Fremantle in 1891. [6] The current site was vested with Elias Solomon and W.F. Samson as trustees for the Jewish congregation in April 1896. [1] A service with the Jewish Minister of Perth, Rabbi B. Freedman, was held at the synagogue site in 1897. [7] Fundraising for the synagogue was being held with a building committee formed in 1900, with plans being approved and put out for tender. In 1901 the synagogue president was Charles Nathan and the honorary minister was Elias Cohen. [8]
The building was designed by the architects, Oldham and Eales, [1] [9] and built by J McCracken. The foundation stone was laid on 8 January 1902 by Solomon, by then the Federal Member for Fremantle, a former mayor of Fremantle and a trustee of the congregation. [1] The inscription on the stone reads:
Fremantle Hebrew Congregation. This stone was laid by E. Solomon, Esq., J.P., M.P.. on January 8, 1902. Teves 29th, 5662. C. S. Nathan, President. Oldham and Eales, architects. [10]
The building was completed a few months later and a consecration service was held on 31 August 1902 led by the reader S. Miller who spoke
Open unto the one the gates of the righteousness; I will enter them and bless the Lord.
He then entered the synagogue followed by the wardens and proceeded to the ark reciting a prayer. They then circuited around the room three times chanting psalms, after which the Sefer Torah was placed in the ark and the perpetual lamp was lit. The remainder of the service was then held. The treasurer of the building fund, L. Alexander, then reported that the land had cost £1750, the building cost £850, making a total of £2600, on which there was a liability remaining of £500. [11] [12]
By 1908 services were no longer held in the building and in 1910 the majority of the state's Jewish population had moved to Perth, joining the Perth Hebrew Congregation, and the synagogue was closed permanently. [4] [2] Meetings among the community had been held in 1909 discussing the disposal of the property. [13]
The building was sold in 1916 [2] to the federal government for £850 as an annexe to the general hospital where it was converted into a ward. [14] [15] It was later acquired by William Beer in 1922 and by 1924 he was operating an auction mart from the site. [4]
The Fremantle City Council acquired the building in 1969 and leased it for various commercial purposes including Barri's Rugs, a gallery, a clothing outlet named Skid Rose and various cafes. The Council sold the building in 2004. [4]
The history of Jews in Australia traces the history of Australian Jews from the British settlement of Australia commencing in 1788. Though Europeans had visited Australia before 1788, there is no evidence of any Jewish sailors among the crew. The first Jews known to have come to Australia came as convicts transported to Botany Bay in 1788 aboard the First Fleet that established the first European settlement on the continent, on the site of present-day Sydney.
The Hobart Synagogue is a heritage-listed synagogue located in 59 Argyle Street, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The synagogue is the oldest synagogue building in Australia and is a rare example of the Egyptian Revival style of synagogue architecture. The Egyptian Revival building was constructed in 1845. The trapezoidal shape of the windows and the columns with lotus capitals are characteristic of the Egyptian Revival style. Currently the Hobart Synagogue has regular Orthodox and Progressive services.
The Perth Hebrew Congregation is synagogue located in the Perth, suburb of Menora, Western Australia. Established as an organization in 1892, it is the oldest of three shuls and one temple serving the Jewish community in Perth. The synagogue includes a child care - namely Ruth Landau Harp Early Learning offering education to children aged from 6 weeks to 5 years, educating children on the Jewish calendar of events and Jewish values, with all meals being kosher. The synagogue offers facilities for daily services, educational programmes, PHC also houses a library, a mikveh and a bookshop. In July 2004, the shul was heavily defaced with anti-Semitic vandalism.
The Esplanade Hotel is a hotel located opposite Esplanade Park, on the corner of Essex Street and Marine Terrace, Fremantle, Western Australia. The building stands on the site of the first building used for housing convicts transported from Great Britain in 1850.
Samuel Moss Solomon was an early Jewish settler in Australia, amongst whose descendants many achieved a degree of notability. The relationship between these descendants is complicated by three factors: the duplication of names, not only within a family line but across lines; the number of intra-family marriages; and marriages to people with the same surname but not closely related. This list is not exhaustive but includes most family members likely to be found in Wikipedia and Australian newspapers.
The Adelaide Steamship House is located at 10-12 Mouat Street, Fremantle. Built in 1900, the building was designed by Fremantle-based architectural firm Charles Oldham and Herbert Eales and was constructed by C. Coghill. The building takes its name from the original owners of the building, the Adelaide Steamship Company, who provided sea passenger and freight services around Australia.
The Fremantle Chamber of Commerce is a business and commerce advocacy association in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Mouat Street is a 300-metre-long (980 ft) street in Fremantle, Western Australia. Historically, the name was often spelled as Mouatt Street.
The National Hotel is on the corner of High and Market Streets Fremantle. Originally built as a shop in 1868, it was occupied by the National Bank in the early 1880s. When the bank relocated in 1886, the building became the National Hotel.
The Brisbane Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation and heritage-listed synagogue, located at 98 Margaret Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Arthur Morry and built from 1885 to 1886 by Arthur Midson. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Herbert Nathaniel Davis was an Australian architect responsible for designing a number of the extant heritage buildings in Fremantle, Western Australia.
The Federal Hotel is located at 23-25 William Street in Fremantle, Western Australia, opposite the Fremantle Town Hall.
The Fremantle Trades Hall is a two-storey former trade union hall in Fremantle that was built during the gold boom period and completed in 1904. The building is located at the corner of Pakenham and Collie Streets in the west end conservation area of the city.
Scots Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian church located at 90 South Terrace, on the corner of Parry Street, in Fremantle, Western Australia. It was the first Presbyterian Church built in Fremantle and one of only six to decline amalgamation with the Uniting Church.
Wilhemsen House, also known as the Elders Building, Elder Building, Barwil House and the Dalgety & Co. Building, is a heritage building located at 11 Cliff Street on the corner of Phillimore Street in the port city of Fremantle, Western Australia. The building dates from the gold rush boom period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and is of historic significance.
The P&O Hotel is a heritage listed building located at 25 High Street on the corner of Mouat Street in Fremantle, Western Australia. It was one of many commercial buildings constructed in Fremantle during the gold boom period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Higham's Buildings is a heritage listed building located at 101 High Street, on the corner of Market Street in the Fremantle West End Heritage area. It is one of many commercial buildings constructed in Fremantle during the gold boom period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Gabriel Bennett was an auctioneer, stock and cattle salesman and horse breeder in South Australia. He was a founder of the stock and station agents Bennett and Fisher.
Media related to Fremantle Synagogue at Wikimedia Commons