Central Synagogue
| Central Synagogue | |
|---|---|
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| Basic information | |
| Location | 646-652 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City,  United States[1] |
| Geographic coordinates | 40°45′35″N 73°58′14″W / 40.759592°N 73.970473°WCoordinates: 40°45′35″N 73°58′14″W / 40.759592°N 73.970473°W |
| Affiliation | Reform Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Status | Active |
| Website | www.centralsynagogue.org |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Henry Fernbach[2] |
| Architectural type | Neo Gothic |
| Architectural style | Moorish Revival |
| Direction of façade | ESE |
| Groundbreaking | 1872 |
| Completed | 1873 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 40 meters (130 ft) |
| Width | 25 meters (82 ft) |
| Width (nave) | 14 meters (46 ft) |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
| Added to NRHP: | October 9, 1970[4] |
| NRHP Reference#: | 70000423 |
| Designated as NHL: | May 15, 1975[3] |
The Central Synagogue (Congregation Ahavath Chesed) is located at 652 Lexington Avenue on the corner of 55th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built in 1872 in the Moorish Revival style as a copy of Budapest's Dohány Street Synagogue,[5] it pays homage to the Jewish existence in Moorish Spain.[1] It has been in continuous use by a congregation longer than any other in the city.[6][7]
The dramatic style of the building was the subject of much debate during the construction. Some felt its excess would inspire envy and stand in the way of assimilation.[8]
It is among the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United States.[9] It was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 15, 1975.[3][10] On Wednesdays at 12:45 p.m. a docent conducts a free tour, which begins at the front entrance.
The building was restored by 2001 in the original style after an accidental fire in August 1998.[11] The roof and its supports were destroyed as a result of the fire. During this fire, the firefighter's sensitivity for the building saved all but the central pane in the rose window that dominates the eastern (Lexington Avenue) wall. The marble plaques on the north wall of the foyer honor the firefighters of the 8th Battalion of the New York City Fire Department.
The synagogue owns the Salem Fields Cemetery, Brooklyn.
Contents |
[edit] Notable Clergy
- Cantor Frank Birnbaum, 1951-1953
[edit] See also
- Synagogues built in the Moorish Revival style:
- Oldest synagogues in the United States
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Dolkart, Andrew S. & Postal, Matthew A.; Guide to New York City Landmarks, 3rd Edition; New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004. ISBN 0-471-36900-4; p.122.
- ^ White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot; AIA Guide to New York City, 4th Edition; New York Chapter, American Institute of Architects; Crown Publishers/Random House. 2000. ISBN 0-8129-31069-8; ISBN 0-8129-3107-6. p.282.
- ^ a b "Central Synagogue". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-10. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=951&ResourceType=Building.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ Krinsky, Carol (1996). Synagogues of Europe. New York: Dover Publications. pp. 108. ISBN 0486290786. http://books.google.com/?id=-wUg6rlWS2kC&pg=PA108.
- ^ NHL Writeup[dead link]
- ^ Alejandro Bahamón and Àgata Losantos, New York: A Historical Atlas of Architecture (New York: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2007), p.99.
- ^ Gray, Christopher; New York Streetscapes, 1st Edition; Harry N. Abrahams, Inc. 2003. ISBN 0-8109-4441-3; p.188.
- ^ Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues, Mark W. Gordon, American Jewish History 84.1 (1996) 11-27 [1]
- ^ Carolyn Pitts (February 2, 1975). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Central SynagoguePDF (220 KB). National Park Service and Accompanying 5 photos, exterior and interior, from 1973 and undatedPDF (1.53 MB)
- ^ Harris, Bill; One Thousand New York Buildings, 1st Edition; Black Dog and Leventhal. 2002. ISBN 1-57912-443-7; p.272.
[edit] References
- Kalmar, Ivan Davidson (2001). "Moorish Style: Orientalism, the Jews, and Synagogue Architecture". Jewish Social Studies History Culture and Society 7 (3): 68. doi:10.2979/JSS.2001.7.3.68. http://www.library.utoronto.ca/moorish/publications/moorish.style.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Central Synagogue |
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- National Historic Landmarks in New York City
- Religious buildings completed in 1872
- Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
- Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places
- Moorish Revival synagogues
- Synagogues in Manhattan
- Reform synagogues in New York City
- 19th-century synagogues
- Burned building and structures in the United States
