Exploring a Beautiful Abandoned Jewish Temple

It was constructed in 1914 and dedicated in 1915.

The Jewish community started off small in the late 1840s. By 1857 a small congregation of Jews had been created. They met in one of the congregant's homes under the leadership of Rabbi Julius Lewin. In 1861 the congregation adopted the name Har-el and started attending services in the home of a local Jewish businessman. At that time, most members of the congregation identified with the Reform tradition of Judaism. Once the Civil War was over, the group became known as Hebrew Zion.

In 1869 the congregation constructed its first building of worship. In 1875 a disagreement about the religious traditions of Judaism triggered a split in the congregation. A new Orthodox congregation was formed but the split was short lived. In 1877, the two groups reconciled and agreed to become identified with the Reform tradition of Judaism.

By 1910 the building was above capacity, with over 150 members belonging to the building was dedicated and the congregation was renamed. The building was seen as "an architectural gem and an ornament to the city." Shortly after the end of World War II, the temple had over 300 members.
In 1955 the congregation had relocated to a new building. By 1962, membership was above 400 people. After the relocation, the building was sold to the Knights of Columbus. In 1993 the building was bought by a private historical group who planned to preserve the building for its beautiful architecture. The historic structure is now vacant. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

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