B'nai Isreal

This brick synagogue at 604 N. Main in Victoria, Texas, was completed in 1923 by local contractor Joseph Gruy. It is a one-story rectangular building with a gable roof over wood trusses. A three-bay pedimented portico with box columns and denticulation marks the west front, where double doors with a transom sit beneath semicircular arches. The side walls have seven bays with segmental-arched windows, brick pilasters, corbeled brickwork and a denticulated brick cornice. The building reflects a classically inspired approach with eclectic details. Its congregation began in 1865, when German immigrant and merchant Louis Silverstein organized Temple B'nai Isreal. The group was reorganized in 1892 and met in various locations before the present temple was finished. Victoria's Jewish community has used the building continuously since 1923. It stands in a mixed residential and commercial area north of the central business district and was recorded in good condition in 1983. It is recognized for its architecture and its religious and social role in the city.