{"nrhp_refnum":"09000864","name":"Rego Park Jewish Center","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"97-30 Queens Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rego Park","county":"Queens","state":"NY","lat":40.730262055000026,"lon":-73.85909693299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-10-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Other"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story synagogue and community center at 97-30 Queens Boulevard in Rego Park, Queens, New York, built in 1948 to designs by architect Frank Grad. It has a stone-faced Moderne front with a large exterior mosaic by A. Raymond Katz.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion A for religion and ethnic heritage as an early post-World War II modernist synagogue serving Rego Park's fast-growing Jewish population. It is also significant under Criterion C as an early example of modernism in New York synagogues, apparently modeled on Bauhaus-influenced European synagogues of the 1930s. Its mosaic and leaded-glass windows by A. Raymond Katz add to its artistic value.","narrative":"Rego Park Jewish Center, at 97-30 Queens Boulevard in Queens, is a synagogue and community center completed in 1948 from designs by architect Frank Grad. Its massive stone façade steps back as it rises and is dominated by a long mosaic by A. Raymond Katz, with Jewish ritual symbols, above three entrances whose doors carry sculpted panels. Inside, the two-story sanctuary has a rear balcony, a proscenium-like arch framing the ark, and tall leaded-glass windows, also by Katz, named for the daily prayer services. A chapel, a basement social hall with a shallow dome, classrooms and a gymnasium reflect the Jewish Center movement, which combined worship with social and athletic spaces. The building was listed because it served Rego Park's growing postwar Jewish community and because it is an early example of modernist synagogue design in New York, apparently modeled on 1930s European precedents. A 1960s Youth Building to the rear does not contribute to its significance.","period_of_significance":"1948-1956","architect_builder":"Frank Grad","architectural_style":"Moderne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Continuously maintained as a synagogue since 1948; main façade, sanctuary, vestibule and chapel survive largely intact. A 1960s Youth Building addition is non-contributing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.689479-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/09000864.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000864/d5691c7e30-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000864/d5691c7e30-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Leo Chiou","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rego_Park_Jewish_Center-1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Leo Chiou</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rego_Park_Jewish_Center-1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321139","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rego_Park_Jewish_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7309517"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/queens/rego-park-jewish-center-09000864/"}