Eldridge Street Synagogue
- Year
- 1887
- Style
- Moorish / Mudéjar
- City
- Manhattan, NY
Built in 1887 at 12–16 Eldridge Street for Congregation Kahal Adath Jeshurun, this is one of the first synagogues erected in the United States by Eastern European Jews. The congregation traces to Beth Hamedrash, founded in 1852, which relocated several times before merging with Holkhe Yosher Vizaner in 1886 and taking the Eldridge Street site the same year. Membership peaked between 1890 and 1915 at up to 800 members after a further merger with Anshe Lubz in 1909, then declined. The congregation still owns the building and holds weekly services, while the Museum at Eldridge Street, founded in 1986, occupies the space under a long-term lease.
the style
The synagogue is a rare New York example of Moorish Revival architecture, a style that borrowed decorative forms from medieval Islamic Spain and North Africa and was popular for synagogues in this period as a way of asserting a distinct visual identity apart from Christian church architecture.
More on Moorish / Mudéjarsignificance
The building is both a National Historic Landmark and a New York City designated landmark, with the city designation dated July 8, 1980. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
nearby
- S. Jarmulowsky Bank Building
- New York Public Library, Chatham Square Branch
- Edward Mooney House
- Mariner's Temple
- Bowery Savings Bank
- Tenement Museum