National Register of Historic Places

Temple Beth Zion

Buffalo, Erie County, New York
Listed
January 16, 2018
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
100001965

About this property

Temple Beth Zion is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 805 Delaware Avenue, in Buffalo, Erie County, New York, in the United States. Founded in 1850, Temple Beth Zion is the largest Jewish congregation in Western New York and one of the oldest and largest Reform congregations in the nation. Originally an Orthodox congregation, TBZ reorganized as a Reform congregation in 1863. The Max Abramovitz-designed scalloped oval Modernist building features ten scallop walls, each a symbol of the 10 commandments, and two 30-foot-high (9.1 m) commandment tablets. The synagogue walls rise 45 feet (14 m) from the entrance, flaring outward at 15 degrees, firmly anchored to a pedestal 50 feet (15 m) below ground level. Ben Shahn, an artist, painter and calligrapher, designed the sanctuary's stained windows, the Commandment Tablets, and the menorah. The synagogue contains a Casavant Frères 48-rank, 4000-pipe organ. The synagogue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, located within the Delaware Avenue Historic District. The Benjamin and Dr. Edgar R. Cofeld Judaic Museum, co-located adjacent to the synagogue, features a rotating collection of Judaica.

Location

805 Delaware Ave.
Buffalo, Erie County, New York
42.90627, -78.87124

Categories

ARCHITECTUREART
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

Delaware Avenue Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Wayne, The and The Waldorf Apartments
Industrial
0.2 mi
Linde Air Products Factory
Industrial
0.3 mi
20th Century Club
Industrial
0.3 mi
Buffalo Tennis and Squash Club
Civil War
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Burning of Buffalo and Black Rock
1813Early Republic
1.4 mi
Battle of Conjocta Creek
1814Early Republic
1.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Temple Beth Zion listed on the National Register?

Temple Beth Zion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 16, 2018.

What type of historic resource is Temple Beth Zion?

Temple Beth Zion is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Temple Beth Zion?

The period of significance for Temple Beth Zion is recorded as the industrial era.

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