Temple Beth-El (New York City)
Temple Beth-El | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Reform Judaism (former) |
Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue (1891–c. 1929) |
Status | Closed; demolished |
Location | |
Location | 945 Fifth Avenue and 76th Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York |
Country | United States |
Location of the former synagogue in Manhattan, New York City | |
Geographic coordinates | 40°46′30″N 73°57′54″W / 40.775°N 73.965°W |
Architecture | |
Type | Synagogue |
Style | Romanesque Revival |
Date established | 1874 (as a congregation) |
Completed | 1891 |
Construction cost | $700,000 |
Demolished | 1947 |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 2,190 worshippers |
Length | 160 feet (49 m) |
Width | 102 feet (31 m) |
Height (max) | 1,200 feet (370 m) |
Dome(s) | One |
Dome height (outer) | 140 feet (43 m) |
Dome dia. (outer) | 51 feet (16 m) |
Materials | Indiana limestone, Mexican onyx, gold, Numidian marble, copper |
[1] |
Temple Beth-El was a
History
The congregation was formed on March 27, 1874, through the merger of Congregation Anshe Chesed with Temple Adath Jeshurun.[1] David Einhorn served as the congregation's first rabbi.[2] Kaufmann Kohler succeeded his father-in-law Einhorn as rabbi in 1879, serving there until he became president of Hebrew Union College in 1903.[3] Rudolph Grossman was associate rabbi of Temple Beth-El from 1889 to 1896.[4] Samuel Schulman was elected associate rabbi in 1901, and in 1903 he succeeded Kohler as rabbi.[5] He continued to serve as its rabbi until its merger in 1927.[6]
The Romanesque Revival building with Byzantine and Moorish influences, designed by Brunner & Tryon, was dedicated on September 18, 1891.[1][7] Completed with Indiana limestone, and interior fittings using Mexican onyx, gold, Numidian marble, and a copper-domed roof, the land and building costs amounted to $700,000 in 1891 ($23.7 million in 2023).[1] The large 51-foot (16 m) dome was reportedly modelled on the New Synagogue in Berlin.[8]
An organ by Odell Company was installed in the synagogue in 1890; and it was replaced by a new organ by M. P. Möller, installed in 1924 at the front of the synagogue above the bimah, obscured from public view.[9]
In 1927 the Temple Beth-El congregation merged with Congregation Emanu-El.[10][11] The congregation had barely used the synagogue since Yom Kippur in 1929, and was subsequently demolished in 1947.[1]
Gallery
References
- ^ a b c d e Miller, Tom (May 31, 2021). "The Lost Temple Beth-El - Fifth Avenue and 76th Street". Daytonian in Manhattan. Tom Miller. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "New Temple Emanu-El Is Ready for Service". The New York Times. September 29, 1929.
- ^ Adler, Cyrus. "KOHLER, KAUFMANN". The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ Adler, Cyrus. "Grossman, Rudolph". The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ Adler, Cyrus; Haneman, Frederick T. "SCHULMAN, SAMUEL". The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ "Schulman, Samuel". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ "Their Temple Dedicated". The New York Times. September 19, 1891. p. 8.
- ^ Gruber, Samuel (April 16, 2015). "A Look at the High Facade Dome in Synagogue Architecture". Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments. Samuel Gruber. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "Congregation Beth-El". New York Organ List. The New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. n.d. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "Historic Temple Being Demolished" (PDF). The New York Times. April 29, 1947.
- ^ "Then and Now: Beth-El". New York Daily News. February 22, 1998.