The Temple (Atlanta)

Last updated

The Temple
The Temple Synagogue, Midtown, Atlanta, GA (46557779975).jpg
Religion
Affiliation Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status Synagogue
OwnershipHebrew Benevolent Congregation
Leadership
  • Rabbi Peter S. Berg
  • Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus(Snr. Associate)
  • Rabbi Lydia Medwin
  • Rabbi Steven H. Rau (Dir. Lifelong Learning)
  • Rabbi Dr. Alvin M. Sugarman(Emeritus)
StatusActive
Location
Location1589 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30309
CountryUnited States
Midtown Atlanta location map.JPG
Red pog.svg
Location in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia
Geographic coordinates 33°47′52″N84°23′21″W / 33.79778°N 84.38917°W / 33.79778; -84.38917
Architecture
Architect(s) Philip Shutze
TypeSynagogue
Style Neoclassical
General contractor Mr. Birchey
Date established1860 (as a congregation)
Completed
  • 1875 (Garnett St.)
  • 1902 (South Pryor St.)
  • 1931 (Peachtree St.)
Dome(s)One
Website
the-temple.org
The Temple
NRHP reference No. 82002420
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 9, 1982
Designated ALBOctober 23, 1989
[1] [2] [3]

The Temple (formally, the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation) is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 1589 Peachtree Street NE, in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States. The oldest Jewish congregation in Atlanta, it was established in 1860 to serve the needs of German-Jewish immigrants. The Temple, designed by Philip Trammell Shutze in a Neoclassical style, was completed in 1931.

Contents

The synagogue building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 1982; [3] and designated as an Atlanta Landmark Building on October 23, 1989. [2]

Architecture

The Neoclassical building has a pedimented portico, drum dome, and vaulted and domed sanctuary. Its rich finishing details include terrazzo floors, black marbleized-wood columns and gilded woodwork. Of particular significance is the intricate plaster relief work on the interior of the sanctuary's frieze, cornice, vaults and dome. In 1959 a three-story brick education building of contemporary design was added to the rear of the building. [3]

Organ

The Shutze temple opened in 1931 with a new Pilcher organ. In 1955, temple organist Emilie Spivey contracted Aeolian-Skinner to update and renovate the organ. The renovated organ, one of twelve in the country bearing G. Donald Harrison's signature plate, was dedicated October 14, 1955 with a performance of Ernest Bloch's Sacred Service. On Oct 30, 1955 Spivey played the opening recital of Mozart, Bloch, and Poulenc's organ concerto. [4] [5] The organ underwent a major renovation in 2011-2012. [5]

History

Previous temples of the congregation were located at: [6]

During the 1950s and 1960s, The Temple became a center for civil rights advocacy. In response, white supremacists bombed The Temple on October 12, 1958, with no injuries. While arrests were made, there were no convictions. Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor Ralph McGill's outraged front-page column on the Temple bombing won a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. [8] The Temple and the bombing event was used as a central theme in the film Driving Miss Daisy (1989).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (West Hartford, Connecticut)</span> Historic Reform synagogue in West Hartford, Connecticut, US

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 701 Farmington Avenue, in West Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodef Shalom Congregation</span> Reform synagogue in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States

Rodef Shalom Congregation is an historic Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 4905 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The landmark building was designed by architect Henry Hornbostel and completed in the Beaux-Arts style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Emanu-El (Victoria, British Columbia)</span> Jewish synagogue in British Columbia, Canada

Congregation Emanu-El is a Conservative synagogue located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The congregation is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Jacob (Galveston, Texas)</span> Conservative Jewish synagogue in Galveston Island, Texas

Congregation Beth Jacob is a Conservative Jewish synagogue located at 2401 Avenue K, Galveston, on Galveston Island, Texas, in the United States. The present synagogue was built by Austrian, Russian and Hungarian immigrants in 1931. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Hebrews of Ocala</span> Historic Reform Jewish synagogue in Ocala, Florida, US

The United Hebrews of Ocala is an historic former Reform Jewish synagogue building located at 729 N.E. 2nd Street, in the Tuscawilla Park Historic District of Ocala, Marion County, Florida, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Sinai (Sumter, South Carolina)</span> Historic Reform synagogue in South Carolina, United States

Temple Sinai, also known as Congregation Sinai, whose official name is the Sumter Society of Israelites, is an historic Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 11-13 Church Street, on the corner of West Hampton Avenue, in Sumter, South Carolina, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilshire Boulevard Temple</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles, California, US

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, known from 1862 to 1933 as Congregation B'nai B'rith, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 3663 Wilshire Boulevard, in the Wilshire Center district of Los Angeles, California, in the United States. Founded in 1862, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maltz Performing Arts Center</span> Historic Reform Jewish synagogue and arts center, in Cleveland, Ohio, US

The Maltz Performing Arts Center, officially the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center, is a 1200-seat historic arts and religious venue on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, located at 1855 Ansel Road, in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. The center is contained within the Temple–Tifereth Israel synagogue building, located at Silver Park, on the border between the suburbs of Hough and University Circle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona)</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in Scottsdale, Arizona, US

Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 10460 North 56th Street in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States. Incorporated in 1920, the congregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism in 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom</span> Reform synagogue in Louisville, Kentucky, US

Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5101 US Hwy 42, in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Synagogue</span> Historic former Reform synagogue in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Synagogue is an historic former Reform Jewish synagogue building located in the Madison Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park Avenue Synagogue</span> Conservative Jewish congregation in Manhattan, New York

The Park Avenue Synagogue is a Conservative Jewish congregation at 50 East 87th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York. Founded in 1882, the congregation is one of the largest congregations in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Synagogue of Flushing</span> Reform synagogue in Queens, New York

The Free Synagogue of Flushing is a Reform Jewish congregation and historic synagogue located at 41-60 Kissena Boulevard in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. The synagogue's establishment is based on the free synagogue movement, started by Stephen Samuel Wise. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Israel of the City of New York</span> Reform synagogue in Manhattan, New York

Temple Israel of the City of New York is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 112 East 75th Street, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The congregation was incorporated by German Jews in 1873.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Sherith Israel (San Francisco, California)</span> Reform Jewish synagogue in San Francisco, California, United States

Congregation Sherith Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in San Francisco, California, in the United States. Founded in 1851 during California’s Gold Rush period, it is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. In more modern times, the congregation widely known for its innovative approach to worship and lifecycle celebrations. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its historic sanctuary building, completed in 1905, is one of San Francisco's most prominent architectural landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Beth Zion (Buffalo, New York)</span> Reform synagogue in Buffalo, New York (state), US

Temple Beth Zion is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 805 Delaware Avenue, in Buffalo, Erie County, New York, in the United States. Founded in 1850, Temple Beth Zion is the largest Jewish congregation in Western New York and one of the oldest and largest Reform congregations in the nation. Originally an Orthodox congregation, TBZ reorganized as a Reform congregation in 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Gemiluth Chassodim</span> Jewish synagogue in Alexandria, Louisiana, US

Congregation Gemiluth Chassodim known locally as "The Jewish Temple" is an historic Jewish synagogue located in Alexandria, Louisiana, in the United States. Founded in 1859 by Jews from the Alsace region of France, it is one of the oldest congregations in Louisiana and one of the original founding members of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, now known as the Union for Reform Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Emanu-El (Helena, Montana)</span> Historic former synagogue in Helena, Montana, United States

Temple Emanu-El is a historic former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Helena, Montana, in the United States. Completed in 1891, the building was the first synagogue to be constructed between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Beth-El (Anniston, Alabama)</span> Historic Reform synagogue in Anniston, Alabama, US

Temple Beth-El is a historic Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 301 East Thirteenth Street, in Anniston, Alabama, United States, in the United States. The synagogue was built in 1891 in the Romanesque Revival style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth-El Zedeck Temple</span> United States historic place

Beth-El Zedeck Temple, originally known as Beth-El Temple, is a historic synagogue located in the Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The building was completed in 1924, and was originally home to Congregation Beth-El before merging with the Ohev Zedeck congregation in 1928. It is the oldest remaining synagogue structure in Indianapolis.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "The Temple (Hebrew Benevolent Congregation)". Historic Preservation. City of Atlanta, GA. n.d. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Brooks, Caroline (September 9, 1982). "Nomination Form: The Temple". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2024.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. "Organ in Atlanta Temple Opened by Emilie Spivey" (PDF). The Diapason . 47 (2): 1. January 1, 1956.
  5. 1 2 "The Organ - The Temple". www.the-temple.org. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  6. "Pioneer Citizens' History of Atlanta, 1833-1902: Pub. By the Pioneer Citizens' Society of Atlanta". 1902.
  7. photo (Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine ) after it had been converted into a Greek Orthodox Church
  8. "The Temple". Atlanta: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary. National Park Service. October 10, 2008.