Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue
About this property
The Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue, commonly called the Frank Memorial Synagogue, is a historical synagogue on the grounds of Jefferson Einstein Hospital, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The synagogue was funded substantially by Rose S. Frank and named in honor of her late husband, Henry S. Frank, a philanthropist who died in 1887. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The synagogue was built in 1901 on the grounds of the Jewish Hospital of Philadelphia, now the Jefferson Einstein Hospital; and is the only synagogue in the world known to be located on hospital grounds. The architect, Arnold W. Brunner, was inspired by the recent publication of images of several Roman-era synagogues in Israel, particularly the handsome and largely intact synagogue at Kfar Bar'am. Several synagogues had been studied by the British Palestine Exploration Fund and illustrations were published in the Jewish Encyclopedia. The Frank Memorial synagogue replicated the round arch of the door of the standing ruin at Kfar Bar'am, and the lintel from the smaller synagogue at Kfar Bar'am that is now in the Louvre. The inscription on the lintel is taken from that inscription and reads, in Hebrew, "Peace be upon the place, and on all the places of Israel." Over the door is a seven-branched Menorah in a wreath, copied from the ancient Nabratein synagogue. The synagogue's floors are set with mosaics, although it was built before mosaic synagogue floors had been discovered in ancient synagogues in Israel. The supervising architect was Frank Furness, who had been the principal architect of the Jewish Hospital since 1871. The Frank Synagogue: Celebrating 100 Years. Philadelphia, PA: Albert Einstein Healthcare Network. 2001. "5501 Old York Rd" (static historic images). Phillyhistory.org. City of Philadelphia. 2024. Smith, Tyler (2006). "Review of Steven Fine's Art and Judaism in the Greco-Roman World: Toward a New Jewish Archaeology". Bryn Mawr Classical Review. Bryn Mawr College. "Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue" (moving panoramic imagery of the synagogue's interior). Synagogues 360. 2024. Gruber, Samuel D. (2011). "Arnold W. Brunner and the new classical synagogue in America". Jewish History. 25 (1) (Special issue on Synagogue Architecture in Context ed.). Springer: 69–102. doi:10.1007/s10835-010-9128-5. JSTOR 41478218. S2CID 159852656.
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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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Questions about this property
When was Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue listed on the National Register?
Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 11, 1983.
What type of historic resource is Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue?
Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue?
The period of significance for Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue is recorded as the industrial era.
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