{"nrhp_refnum":"92001043","name":"Temple of Israel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"8 Mohawk Pl.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Amsterdam","county":"Montgomery County","state":"NY","lat":42.93943012600005,"lon":-74.19433863599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1992-08-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Reform Jewish synagogue at 8 Mohawk Place in Amsterdam, Montgomery County, New York, built in 1901 as a one-and-one-half story brick building with towers and an octagonal roof, designed by architect Worthy Niver.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the synagogue is architecturally significant as an intact representative example of an early twentieth-century synagogue in a small Mohawk Valley industrial city. It was the first Reform synagogue in the Mohawk Valley. Its eclectic design blends Moorish, Romanesque and Neoclassical motifs, reflecting the German Jewish congregation's wish for assimilation while recalling its roots.","narrative":"Built in 1901 at 8 Mohawk Place in Amsterdam, New York, this brick synagogue was constructed for a Reform Jewish congregation made up largely of German immigrants who came to work in the city's leather and glove industries. Funds came from congregation members and other townspeople. Schenectady architect Worthy Niver, who was not Jewish, designed an eclectic building with turreted towers of unequal height, a steeply pitched octagonal roof, round-arched windows and Tiffany-style stained glass bearing Jewish symbols. Inside, a vaulted octagonal sanctuary holds oak pews, an oak ark in classical form, a mahogany bimah and the original 1901 pipe organ. The congregation, organized in 1873 and incorporated in 1874, was among the earliest Reform groups in upstate New York, and this was the first Reform synagogue in the Mohawk Valley. The building has been in continuous use and keeps a high level of original design and materials, which is the basis of its architectural significance.","period_of_significance":"1901","architect_builder":"Worthy Niver, architect","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals; Late Victorian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"In continuous use as a synagogue since its construction in 1901; retains exceptional integrity of design and materials.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:46.086558-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/92001043.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001043/9888b9d0f4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001043/9888b9d0f4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Israel_Amsterdam_NY_Apr_11.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Israel_Amsterdam_NY_Apr_11.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319051","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Israel_(Amsterdam,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7698729"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/montgomery-county/temple-of-israel-92001043/"}