Temple Beth Israel (Hartford, Connecticut)

Last updated
Temple Beth Israel
Temple Beth Israel Hartford CT.JPG
USA Connecticut location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location21 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°45′33″N72°40′29″W / 41.75917°N 72.67472°W / 41.75917; -72.67472 Coordinates: 41°45′33″N72°40′29″W / 41.75917°N 72.67472°W / 41.75917; -72.67472
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1875 (1875)
Architect George Keller
Architectural styleHigh Victorian Eclectic
NRHP reference No. 78002868 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 01, 1978

Temple Beth Israel is a historic Jewish synagogue building at 21 Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut. Built in 1875-76, it is the oldest purpose-built synagogue building in the state. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. [1] After being rescued from threatened demolition, it now houses a local cultural center. The congregation, established in 1843, is now located at a synagogue in West Hartford.

Contents

Description and history

The former Temple Beth Israel building is located south of downtown Hartford in the Sheldon-Charter Oak neighborhood. It is on the south side of Charter Oak Avenue, just east its junction with Main Street and west of Charter Oak Park. It is a 2-1/2 story brick structure with a brownstone foundation and stone trim. It has a gabled roof, flanked at the front by towers with octagonal domed tops. Windows and entrances are set in round-arch openings in the Romanesque style. [2]

The synagogue was designed by George Keller and built in 1875-76 for a Jewish congregation established in 1843. It was in 1843 that the state, at the instigation of the congregation's leadership, passed a law making it possible for Jewish congregations to build synagogues. It is the only known High Victorian Romanesque work of Keller, who was one of Hartford's leading architects of the second half of the 20th century. The temple was used by that congregation until 1935, when it was sold to the Calvary Temple congregation, which occupied it until 1974. [2] After standing vacant for some years, the city threatened to demolish it. Jewish groups around the state organized to preserve it, and it now houses the Charter Oak Cultural Center.


See also

Related Research Articles

Beth Israel may refer to:

Congregation Beth Israel (West Hartford, Connecticut) United States historic place

Congregation Beth Israel is a synagogue located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The synagogue is one of the two oldest Jewish congregations in Connecticut and one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in New England, with about 900 member families and about 2,000 individual members.

George Keller (architect) American architect

George Keller, was an American architect and engineer. He enjoyed a diverse and successful career, and was sought for his designs of bridges, houses, monuments, and various commercial and public buildings. Keller's most famous projects, however, are the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Hartford, Connecticut, and the James A. Garfield Memorial in Cleveland, Ohio.

KAM Isaiah Israel

KAM Isaiah Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 1100 E. Hyde Park Boulevard in the historic Kenwood neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Chicago, with its oldest core founded in 1847 as Kehilath Anshe Ma'arav.

Beth Israel Synagogue (Cambridge, Massachusetts) United States historic place

Beth Israel Synagogue is a historic former Jewish synagogue building at 238 Columbia Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1901, it was the first and principal synagogue to serve the East Cambridge area, and is a fine local example of Romanesque architecture. Now converted into residential condominiums, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona)

Congregation Beth Israel is a Jewish congregation located at 10460 North 56th Street in Scottsdale, Arizona. Formally incorporated in 1920, it affiliated with the Reform Judaism in 1935.

Shaarai Torah Synagogue (Worcester, Massachusetts) United States historic place

Shaarai Torah Synagogue is an historic former synagogue building at 32 Providence Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Worcester's first Modern Orthodox "shul", Shaarai Torah was considered the city's "Mother Synagogue" for many years.

Congregation Beth Israel (Houston) United States historic place

Congregation Beth Israel of Houston, the oldest Jewish congregation in Texas, was founded in Houston in 1854. It operates the Shlenker School.

Tephereth Israel Synagogue United States historic place

Tephereth Israel Synagogue is a synagogue at 76 Winter Street in downtown New Britain, Connecticut. The Orthodox congregation, founded in 1925, meets at a two-story brick temple with Colonial Revival and Renaissance features, designed by Hartford architect Adolf Feinberg and built in 1925. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Beth Israel Synagogue (New Haven, Connecticut) United States historic place

Congregation Beth Israel, also known as the Orchard Street Shul, is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue at 232 Orchard Street in New Haven, Connecticut. The synagogue building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church (Hartford, Connecticut) United States historic place

The Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church is a historic Roman Catholic church at 55 Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut. It is a large, two story brick structure with limestone trim, designed by Timothy G. O'Connell and built in 1914 to serve the city's growing Polish-American population. The interior in particular is decorated with symbols generally found in Catholic churches in Poland, including the Polish eagle. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Plymouth Congregational Church (New Haven, Connecticut) United States historic place

Plymouth Congregational Church, also known as Plymouth Church or Temple Keser Israel, is a former late-nineteenth-century Congregational Church at 1469 Chapel Street in New Haven, Connecticut. The church, a fine example of Romanesque Revival architecture, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The church is a notable example of an adaptive reuse, having been converted into a synagogue and medical office building.

Temple BNai Israel (New Britain, Connecticut) United States historic place

Temple B'Nai Israel is a former Jewish synagogue at 265 West Main Street in New Britain, Connecticut. It is a Beaux Arts building originally constructed as a Masonic Hall in 1929, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 under the name "Masonic Temple".

Temple Beth El of Borough Park United States historic place

Temple Beth El of Borough Park, now known as Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park, is a historic synagogue at 4802 15th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York.

Temple Beth Israel (Danielson, Connecticut) United States historic place

Temple Beth Israel is a historic Jewish synagogue building at 39 Killingly Drive in the Danielson village of Killingly, Connecticut. Built between 1951 and 1961 to a design by Boston, Massachusetts architect William Riseman, it is one of the first Modernist synagogues built in Connecticut. It was built in part by members of its congregation, many of whom were survivors of The Holocaust, and was formally dedicated on June 5, 1961 after ten years of construction. The congregation was a mix of Orthodox and Conservative adherents, and was merged with a congregation in Putnam in 2003. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. It now serves as a cultural historical center, managed by a non-profit organization.

Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue (Hartford, Connecticut) United States historic place

Beth Hamedrash Hagodol Synagogue was an Orthodox Jewish congregation located at 370 Garden Street in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1905, the congregation built the Romanesque temple on Garden Street in 1921–22. The congregation merged with the Ateres Kneset Israel congregation in 1962 to form the United Synagogue of Greater Hartford, and moved to new quarters in West Hartford. Its building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture, is now home to the Greater Refuge Church of Christ.

Hyde-St. John House United States historic place

The Hyde-St. John House is a historic house at 25 Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut. Built in 1858, it is one of the city's least-altered examples of Italianate architecture, and it was home to prominent local attorney and city mayor William Waldo Hyde. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and is presently in commercial use.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Temple Beth Israel". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-12-11.