{"nrhp_refnum":"05000445","name":"Actors Temple","other_names":["Congregation Ezrath Israel"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"339 W. 47th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.76133555700005,"lon":-73.98904184599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick synagogue at 339 West 47th Street in Manhattan's West Side, designed by Sidney F. Oppenheimer and built in 1922 within the walls of an earlier brick tenement.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion A for its link to the social history of New York's Theatre District and its community of Jewish actors and entertainers during the Golden Age of Entertainment. It is also significant under Criterion B for its association with Rabbi Beril Birstein, who led the congregation from 1925 until his death in 1959 and welcomed performers into synagogue life.","narrative":"Actors Temple is a modest brick synagogue at 339 West 47th Street, one block west of Times Square. Designed by Sidney F. Oppenheimer and completed in 1922, it was fitted inside the walls of an older tenement on a lot only 25 feet wide. Its tan brick facade uses cast stone trim, classical cornices, a round-arched center window and stained glass, including a Star of David. Originally Congregation Ezrath Israel, it took the name Actors Temple in 1925 under Rabbi Beril Birstein, who invited vaudeville performers and other entertainers to worship there. Figures such as Sophie Tucker, Milton Berle, Edward G. Robinson and Eddie Cantor are linked to the congregation. Birstein led it until his death in 1959, and his funeral closed 47th Street. The nomination presents the building as a place where Jewish entertainers, often shut out of other congregations, were accepted. The sanctuary's balcony dates from a 1954 remodeling, and the building remains in use as a synagogue.","period_of_significance":"1925-1959","architect_builder":"Sydney F. Oppenheimer, architect, New York City, NY","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Still in use as a synagogue; the sanctuary was remodeled in 1954 and the building has had no alterations since.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:54.071456-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/05000445.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000445/77dd6bc01d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000445/77dd6bc01d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Dmadeo","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Actors-temple-2007.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dmadeo</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Actors-temple-2007.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319235","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Actors%27_Temple","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7712319"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/actors-temple-05000445/"}