{"nrhp_refnum":"09001082","name":"Ocean Parkway Jewish Center","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"550 Ocean Pkwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brooklyn","county":"Brooklyn","state":"NY","lat":40.63650508000006,"lon":-73.97267999799993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-12-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","European"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A synagogue and Jewish community center at 550 Ocean Parkway in the Kensington area of Brooklyn, New York, built in 1924-26 to designs by Samuel Malkind and Martyn Weinstein, with a two-story Talmud Torah school added in 1951-54.","why_significant":"It is a highly intact example of the synagogue-center type, which combined worship, education and recreation under one roof, a movement associated with Mordecai Kaplan's Jewish Center idea. It was the third such center to open in Brooklyn. It also represents Eastern-European Jewish heritage and neo-Classical design by Malkind and Weinstein.","narrative":"Ocean Parkway Jewish Center, at 550 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, was built in 1924-26 to designs by architects Samuel Malkind and Martyn Weinstein. Its limestone, granite and marble front is organized as a neo-Classical temple front, with fluted Ionic pilasters, a pediment carrying the Tablets of the Law flanked by lions, and bronze doors bearing Judaic emblems. Inside, a domed rotunda leads to a large sanctuary with leaded-glass windows, a central dome and skylight, and an elaborate marble ark. The building also holds a basement chapel, a gymnasium and auditorium with stage, classrooms, and a sub-basement swimming pool. This mix of worship, education and recreation reflects the synagogue-center movement begun by Mordecai Kaplan, and this was the third such center to open in Brooklyn. A two-story Talmud Torah school was added in 1951-54. The property retains a high degree of integrity and has served continuously as a synagogue since 1926. It was listed for its architecture, religious history and Eastern-European Jewish heritage.","period_of_significance":"1924-1954","architect_builder":"Malkind, Samuel L. and Weinstein, Martyn N.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Continuously maintained as a synagogue since 1926; the gym, swimming pool, showers and steamrooms have been out of use for several decades.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.467276-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/09001082.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09001082/3dbde96bc7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09001082/3dbde96bc7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Oddtimesigs","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ocean_Parkway_Jewish_Center_of_Brooklyn.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Oddtimesigs</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:Ocean_Parkway_Jewish_Center_of_Brooklyn.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318463","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Parkway_Jewish_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7076044"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/brooklyn/ocean-parkway-jewish-center-09001082/"}