{"nrhp_refnum":"70000423","name":"Central Synagogue","other_names":["Congregation Ahawath Chesed-Shaar Hashomayim"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"646-652 Lexington Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.75959007150004,"lon":-73.97055235348452,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-10-09","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1975-05-15","areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A synagogue building at 646-652 Lexington Avenue, at the southwest corner of East 55th Street in Manhattan, New York City. The cornerstone was laid in 1870 and the building was completed in 1872, designed by Henry Fernback.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an outstanding example of its period, with bold polychromatic stone facades popular in the 1870s. It is also tied to Henry Fernback, described as the first Jew to practice architecture in America, and to a congregation founded in 1846. The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1966.","narrative":"Central Synagogue is a house of worship at 646-652 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, on the southwest corner of East 55th Street. The congregation was founded in 1846 as the Ahaweth Chesed Congregation and met in several buildings around the city before acquiring this land in 1864. Henry Fernback, described as the first Jew to practice architecture in America, designed the temple. The cornerstone was laid in 1870 and construction finished in 1872. The rectangular stone building has load-bearing masonry walls, cast iron interior columns, and two octagonal stone towers on the east front topped with multi-sided globes. Contrasting belt courses and alternating light and dark voussoirs create the bold polychromy popular in the 1870s. Inside, original tile floors, the organ loft and wooden balcony survive, and the walls carry stenciled designs. Stained glass replaced the original painted glass windows. The city designated it a landmark in 1966.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (cornerstone laid 1870; completed 1872)","architect_builder":"Henry Fernback","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition; the exterior is unaltered except for stained glass windows that replaced painted glass, and the building is occupied and used for religious purposes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.395802-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/70000423.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000423/017fb103bb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000423/017fb103bb-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Jim.henderson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central_Synagogue_Lex_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:Central_Synagogue_Lex_jeh.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319356","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Synagogue_(Manhattan)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3504867"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/central-synagogue-70000423/"}