257-265 West 88th Street

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257-265 West 88th Street

 

Date: 1917-18 NB Number: NB 15-1917 Type:  Synagogue Architect:  Schneider & Herter Developer/Owner/Builder: Congregation B’nai Jeshurun NYC Landmarks Designation:  Historic District Landmark Designation Report: Riverside Drive- West End Historic District National Register Designation: N/A Primary Style:   Primary Facade:   Granite Structure: Designed by the firm of Schneider & Herts and built in 1917-18 for the Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, this is a striking and architecturally significant synagogue. Reflecting Moorish and Middle Eastern architectural sources, the “Semitic” style created by the architects with this building was immediately recognized as an important architectural contribution and subsequently influenced synagogue design in New York City during the 1920s. Walter S. Schneider and his associate, Henry B. Herts, were both members of the Congregation B’nai Jeshurun and seem to have only collaborated on this one project. According to the architects, the inspiration for the “Semitic” style used in this design came from the examination of archaeological fragments in the Metropolitan Museum and related historically and culturally to the early Jewish occupation in Palestine. Founded in 1825, B’nai Jeshurun is the oldest congregation of Ashkenazic Jew in New York State and the second oldest Jewish congregation in the state after the Sephardic congregation of Shearith Israel, founded in 1655. After erecting early synagogues in lower Manhattan and on West 34th Street, the congregation moved first to the Upper East Side in 1884 and finally to West 88th Street in 1918. The building replaced five rowhouses previously on the site. A community center was built directly through the block, at No. 270 West 89t Street, in 1928. Designed by Herts & Abramson in the “Semitic” style, it offered Jewish programs for all members of the congregation. For more information see the entry for No. 270 West 89th Street. Selected References: Andrew Scott Dolkart, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun Synagogue and Community House, National Register of Historic Places, 1989. New York City Department of Taxes Photograph Collection, Municipal Archives and Record Collection, G 2033. New York Public Library, Photographic Views of New York City 1870’s-1970’s from the Collections of the New York Public Library (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1981), microfiche nos. 0618 D5. “The Temple B’nai Jeshurun,” Architecture 41 (Jan., 1920), 18-19. Historic District: Riverside Drive- West End HD Alterations: The building replaced five rowhouses previously on the site.