{"nrhp_refnum":"09000833","name":"Astoria Center of Israel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"27-35 Crescent St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Astoria","county":"Queens","state":"NY","lat":40.77128553000006,"lon":-73.92377950599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-10-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick synagogue and religious center at 27-35 Crescent Street in Astoria, Queens, New York City, built in 1925-26 to designs by architect Louis Allen Abramson.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of the few early-twentieth-century synagogues surviving in Queens, tied to the 'Jewish Center' movement of the 1920s. It is also presented as an intact Neo-Classical Revival synagogue by Abramson, a leading architect of that movement. Its 1929 murals by Louis Rigal and metalwork by Oscar Bach add to its distinction.","narrative":"Astoria Center of Israel is a synagogue and religious center on Crescent Street in Astoria, Queens, built in 1925-26 from designs by architect Louis Allen Abramson. It was first planned as a religious school and community center for the neighboring Congregation Mishkan Israel, but it soon became a separate synagogue. The two-story red brick building has a modified temple front with six double-height Ionic piers, cast-stone trim and Jewish symbols such as the magen david worked into doors, windows and cartouche. Inside, the sanctuary has leaded glass windows, a scagliola ark and a ceiling divided into fifteen painted panels. French artist Louis Rigal painted the murals in 1929, and Oscar Bach made decorative metalwork. The building is valued as one of the oldest surviving synagogues in Queens and as a work by an architect closely linked to the Jewish Center movement. It remains in use for worship and has kept most of its original character.","period_of_significance":"1925-26","architect_builder":"Louis Allen Abramson","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Continuously maintained and still functioning as a synagogue and religious center; main facade, sanctuary, vestibule, lobby and chapel survive largely intact, while the basement social hall is significantly altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.512025-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/09000833.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000833/105846b246-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000833/105846b246-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"MrShah2012","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Astoria_Center_of_Israel._Side,_angled_shot..JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">MrShah2012</a>, <a href=\"https://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:Astoria_Center_of_Israel._Side,_angled_shot..JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321058","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria_Center_of_Israel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4811097"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/queens/astoria-center-of-israel-09000833/"}