National Register of Historic Places

Bikur Cholim Synagogue

Bridgeport, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Listed
November 27, 1995
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
95001341

About this property

The Bikur Cholim Synagogue is a historic religious building at 1545 Iranistan Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the United States. Built about 1894 for a Congregational church, it housed two different Jewish congregations from 1929 to 1989. After serving as a commercial establishment for a time, it now houses a Seventh-day Adventist congregation. The building is a distinctive example of the Shingle style of architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The former Bikur Cholim Synagogue is located on Bridgeport's west side, at the northwest corner of Maplewood and Iranistan Avenues. It is a single-story frame structure, with its main section covered by a gabled roof. A polygonal apse section projects toward Maplewood Avenue from the main section, with the entrance in a transept section projecting toward Iranistan Avenue from the junction of these two sections. The exterior is now mostly clad in synthetic siding, with the northeastern end of the building finished in brick. The building was constructed about 1894 as a mission outpost of Bridgeport's South Congregational Church, and was used by that church until 1907. It has housed First Christian Church (Christ's Disciples) (1907–1914), Congregation Rodeph Sholom (which used the building from 1923 until 1949 when the congregation move to Capitol Avenue), Congregation Bikur Cholim (which used the building until the congregation moved to Capitol Avenue in 1989), and Metamorphosis an interior decorating design business (until 1993). The building is now the home of Ephraim French Speaking Seventh-day Adventist Church. The building was one of fifteen Connecticut synagogues added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and 1996 in response to an unprecedented multiple submission, nominating nineteen synagogues. It is unusual as an example of Shingle Style architecture applied for a religious building in an urban setting; Shingle Style was primarily used for residences, often ocean-side residences in resort areas. National Register of Historic Places listings in Bridgeport, Connecticut

Location

1545 Iranistan Ave.
Bridgeport, Fairfield County, Connecticut
41.18052, -73.20578

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Maplewood School
Industrial
0.2 mi
Stratfield Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
Sterling Hill Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
Nathaniel Wheeler Memorial Fountain
Listed
0.5 mi
Bishop, Peyton Randolph, House
Industrial
0.5 mi

Nearby Battles

Burning of Fairfield and Norwalk
1779Revolutionary War
4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bikur Cholim Synagogue listed on the National Register?

Bikur Cholim Synagogue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 1995.

What type of historic resource is Bikur Cholim Synagogue?

Bikur Cholim Synagogue is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bikur Cholim Synagogue?

The period of significance for Bikur Cholim Synagogue is recorded as the industrial era.

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