{"nrhp_refnum":"09000377","name":"Beth El Jewish Center of Flatbush","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1981 Homecrest Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brooklyn","county":"Brooklyn","state":"NY","lat":40.60305108400007,"lon":-73.95902063699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-05-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","European"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story plus basement red brick synagogue with white-glazed terra cotta trim at 1981 Homecrest Avenue (corner of Avenue T) in the Homecrest section of Brooklyn, built in 1927 and attributed to Seelig & Finkelstein, with an attached 1954 school building.","why_significant":"The building is cited under Criterion C as an intact example of early twentieth century vernacular synagogue design in New York City, blending abstracted Byzantine and Gothic elements. It is cited under Criterion A in ethnic heritage as a synagogue built by first and second generation Eastern European Jews, reflecting how American Jewish congregations adapted to life in the United States.","narrative":"Beth El Jewish Center of Flatbush is a red brick synagogue at the corner of Avenue T and Homecrest Avenue in Brooklyn, completed in 1927 for a congregation organized in 1922. Its tripartite front features white-glazed terra cotta with Byzantine chevron and floral patterns, a tall stilted arch, a copper lantern resembling an eternal light, and Gothic arched parapets. The design is attributed to Seelig & Finkelstein, better known for apartment houses. Inside, the sanctuary keeps its original layout, a coffered ceiling, a skylit dome painted with a night sky, a women's balcony, and an elaborately carved wooden ark. A brick school building, the Molle Hassuk Talmud Torah, was attached at the rear in 1954. The congregation's early members were first and second generation Jews from Eastern Europe who had moved to Flatbush from Brownsville and the Lower East Side. The building represents both modest vernacular synagogue design and the movement of immigrant families into new neighborhoods.","period_of_significance":"1927-1954","architect_builder":"Seelig & Finkelstein","architectural_style":"No style (vernacular synagogue with Byzantine and Gothic inspired elements)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Synagogue and school remain in religious use; the exterior is in overall good condition, but the interior shows leaking in walls and ceiling, especially in the balcony. The education building is leased to a preschool.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.247734-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/09000377.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000377/934249a11c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000377/934249a11c-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Jim.henderson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beth_El_JCoFB_1981_Homecrest_Av_S_jeh.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim.henderson</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beth_El_JCoFB_1981_Homecrest_Av_S_jeh.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318319","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_El_Jewish_Center_of_Flatbush","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4897490"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/brooklyn/beth-el-jewish-center-of-flatbush-09000377/"}