{"nrhp_refnum":"97000844","name":"Loch Sheldrake Synagogue","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NY 52, N of jct. of NY 52 and Loch Sheldrake Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Loch Sheldrake","county":"Sullivan County","state":"NY","lat":41.77079867200007,"lon":-74.65772361999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-08-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small brick synagogue on NY Route 52 in the hamlet of Loch Sheldrake, Sullivan County, New York, built between about 1922 and 1930 and designed by a local architect named Okun and built by John Bullock.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it represents an early twentieth-century synagogue tied to the growth of the Jewish-oriented Catskills resort industry. It was founded in 1922 by local hotel and rooming house owners serving Jewish guests. Its facade, with a horseshoe-shaped arch and flanking engaged towers, reflects an abstracted Middle Eastern idiom typical of 1920s synagogue design.","narrative":"Set on a small lot beside NY Route 52 in Loch Sheldrake, this buff-brick synagogue was built between about 1922 and 1930 for a congregation founded by local Jewish hotel and rooming house owners serving their guests. Architect Okun designed it and John Bullock built it. Its facade is the main decorative element: a projecting stepped-gable pavilion with a tall limestone horseshoe-shaped arch, stained glass, copper-clad doors and small engaged towers. Side and rear walls are plain, and were stuccoed in 1946. Inside are a prayer room with a domed ceiling, a ladies' balcony, a carved ark and stained-glass windows installed from 1974 to 1982. The building is significant for its link to the growth of Jewish resorts in the Catskills after 1919 and for its early twentieth-century synagogue design, which drew on Middle Eastern and Islamic motifs. Despite later changes, it keeps the character-defining features of its type and remains in religious use.","period_of_significance":"c1922-c1930","architect_builder":"Mr. Okun, architect; John Bullock, builder","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a synagogue; the lower level is used for meetings and celebrations. It was altered in 1946, 1967 and 1974-1982 but retains substantial integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.409764-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/97000844.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000844/1aae5d52c7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000844/1aae5d52c7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Vonsky87","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loch_Sheldrake_Synagogue.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Vonsky87</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:Loch_Sheldrake_Synagogue.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322389","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Sheldrake_Synagogue","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14706819"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/sullivan-county/loch-sheldrake-synagogue-97000844/"}