Shaarei Shamayim (Madison,Wisconsin)
|
Old Synagogue
|
|
Gates of Heaven Synagogue
|
|
 
|
|
| Location | E. Gorham St. at N. Butler St., Madison, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°04′48″N 89°23′05″W / 43.07993°N 89.38486°WCoordinates: 43°04′48″N 89°23′05″W / 43.07993°N 89.38486°W |
| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | 1863 |
| Architect | August Kutzbock |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference # | 70000030 |
| Added to NRHP | December 29, 1970 |
Shaarei Shamayim (Gates of Heaven) has been the name of two Jewish congregations in Madison, Wisconsin. The first, dating to the 19th century but no longer in existence, built what is now the eighth-oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States. The second congregation, dating to 1989, is the sole Reconstructionist congregation in Madison.
Madison's Shaarei Shamayim congregation was founded in 1856 by Jewish immigrants from Germany. In 1863, they built a synagogue that was designed by August Kutzbock, a recent German immigrant, in the Rundbogenstil style, a nineteenth-century German form of Romanesque revival. Kutzbock also used this distinctive style for the Carrie Pierce and Van Slyke Houses in the adjacent Mansion Hill district. The building now ranks as the eighth-oldest surviving synagogue building in the United States. The Panic of 1873 forced the lease of the building to a Unitarian congregation, and in subsequent years it was repurposed to house the Women's Christian Temperance Union, other churches, and a funeral home.
Gates of Heaven Synagogue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and in 1971, thanks to the efforts of local citizens, the building was purchased by the city, restored, and moved to James Madison Park. Now located at the corner of Gorham and Butler Streets, the Gates of Heaven building is used for concerts, weddings, and other gatherings.
Since the early 1980s, Hannah Rosenthal has led High Holiday services at the site, with jazz musician Ben Sidran and vocalist Lynette Margulies providing liturgical music. Sidran's album Life's a Lesson contains selections from these services.
...
Wikipedia