{"nrhp_refnum":"90000035","name":"Agudas Achim Anshei Sfard Synagogue","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"168 Adams St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.35918565000003,"lon":-71.20095572099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story brick synagogue at 168 Adams Street in the Nonantum section of Newton, Massachusetts, built in 1912 in the Classical Revival style. It is still used as a synagogue.","why_significant":"It is the home of the oldest extant Jewish congregation in Newton, which makes it significant for its link to early Jewish immigration to the city. It is also an intact example of a small early synagogue that reflects the size and means of a congregation in the early twentieth century.","narrative":"Built in 1912 on Adams Street in Newton's Nonantum neighborhood, this small brick synagogue was erected by the congregation of Agudas Achim Anshei Sfard, chartered in 1911 and now the oldest existing Jewish congregation in the city. Jewish immigrants began settling in Nonantum in the 1890s, alongside Irish, Italian and French Canadian neighbors. The congregants were far from wealthy and gave according to their means, with further gifts from Jacob Schiff and from non-Jewish local figures. Much of the construction was done by members, some of them skilled artisans. The one-story building has a pressed red brick facade with quoins, a round-arched entry, an oculus holding a Star of David, and tall arched windows. Steps were added in 1919, and the interior was finished in 1924 with the Holy Ark and bimah. The building remains virtually unchanged, and descendants of the founders still worship there.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect and builder unknown; much of the work was done by congregants. The Holy Ark and bimah (1924) were designed by Samuel Katz.","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"In use as a synagogue, in good condition, with no major alterations apart from the installation of plumbing; the congregation continues to worship there for holidays.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:05.195482-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/45/7919/63791945/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000035.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000035/923ef0dccb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000035/923ef0dccb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_Agudas_Achim_Anshei_Sfard_Synagogue.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</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:NewtonMA_Agudas_Achim_Anshei_Sfard_Synagogue.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791945","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams_Street_Shul","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14715382"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/agudas-achim-anshei-sfard-synagogue-90000035/"}