{"nrhp_refnum":"10000224","name":"Temple Beth El of Borough Park","other_names":["Young Isreal Beth El of Borough Park"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4802 15th Ave","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brooklyn","county":"Brooklyn","state":"NY","lat":40.63493058300003,"lon":-73.98718986099993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-04-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Entertainment/Recreation","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story synagogue at 4802 15th Avenue in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, built in 1920-23 to designs by Shampan & Shampan. It is now known as Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park.","why_significant":"The building is significant under Criterion A for ethnic heritage and religion as an early 20th-century synagogue built for a congregation of Eastern European origin, and for its cantorial tradition under Moshe Koussevitsky. It is significant under Criterion C as an intact Brooklyn synagogue that combines Moorish ornament with Judaic motifs. Its Guastavino dome was considered at the time the third largest of its type in the country.","narrative":"Built between 1920 and 1923, this Brooklyn synagogue at 15th Avenue and 48th Street was designed by the firm Shampan & Shampan for Temple Beth-El, a congregation of Eastern European origin. Its granite facade, trimmed in limestone and terra cotta, is approached by broad steps and centers on a grand arched entrance decorated with Moorish arabesques and Judaic symbols such as the menorah and magen david. Inside, a square sanctuary with a balcony is covered by a large Guastavino dome, reported in 1923 as the third largest of its type in the country. The building reflects the period when Borough Park had a significant Jewish population and Brooklyn was a major Jewish center. It also became known for its cantorial tradition, especially under cantor Moshe Koussevitsky, who served from 1952. The property is valued both as a distinctive example of Moorish-influenced synagogue design and as a religious and cultural landmark.","period_of_significance":"1920-1960","architect_builder":"Shampan & Shampan","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Moorish Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a synagogue (Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park); the form lists current function as religious facility.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.465288-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/10000224.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000224/540f618b5e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000224/540f618b5e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beth_El_1_Brooklyn.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</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:Beth_El_1_Brooklyn.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318541","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Beth_El_of_Borough_Park","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7698462"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/brooklyn/temple-beth-el-of-borough-park-10000224/"}