Beth El Synagogue is a historic synagogue at 359–375 Cooke Street in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

. Built in 1929, it is the first synagogue in the state to be built in the

Byzantine Revival Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Ortho ...

style, and was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1995 for its architecture. Originally built for a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

congregation, it is now home to Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel.

Architecture and building history

The former Beth El Synagogue stands in a mainly residential area north of downtown Waterbury, on the west side of Cooke Street at its junction with Sterling Street. It is a domed

-style building, with broad steps leading to a triple entrance on the front facade, which is topped by a carved representation of the

Decalogue The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

. The dome is finished in gold, and is topped by a ring of acanthus cresting and a finial. The interior sanctuary space is open to the dome, and has wooden pews divided by three aisles. The front section functions as a small stage, with a proscenium arch and angled walls. With . The synagogue was built in the 1920s by the Conservative Beth El Congregation, which was organized c. 1920 and formerly had a synagogue on Park Place. The original design was by architect Nathan Myers, but interior work proceeded slowly after the main construction as financing permitted. The interior finishes in the sanctuary, including detailing in paneling of the bimah, were completed in the 1950s to designs by Waterbury architect Joseph Stein. The building remained with the Beth El congregation until 2001, when the shrinking congregation sold the building and moved to Southbury.

References

External links

Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel website
{{Authority control Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Synagogues completed in 1929 Buildings and structures in Waterbury, Connecticut Synagogues in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut 1929 establishments in Connecticut Byzantine Revival synagogues Jewish organizations established in 1929

Architecture and building history

See also

References

External links