Building of the Day: 1314 Eighth Avenue

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Formerly Congregation Tifereth Israel, now Park Slope Jewish Center
Address: 1314 Eighth Avenue
Cross Streets: Corner 14th Street
Neighborhood: Park Slope
Year Built: 1925-1927
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: Allen A. Blaustein
Landmarked: Yes, part of Park Slope Extension (2012). Also on National Register of Historic Places.

The story: Brooklyn has a rich Jewish history, beginning with the first Sephardic Jewish settlers who came here in the 17th century, to the German and Western European Jews who followed in the early to mid-19th century, the thousands of Eastern European Jews who came here in the great immigration period of the late 19th century, and the more modern immigrants escaping the horrors of war and discrimination in the 20th. Their stories were all different, as were their triumphs and tragedies, and all have contributed to the Brooklyn we know today. The Park Slope Jewish Center has played an important role in Brooklyn’s Jewish history.

PSJC started as Congregation Tifereth Israel, which was incorporated in 1900. Their early years were spent in several different buildings and homes in the Park Slope area. The congregants were Eastern European Jewish immigrants who left the Lower East Side for more room and better opportunities. Their services were Orthodox, and business was conducted in Yiddish.

By 1925, they had outgrown their last location, a rowhouse around the corner, and commissioned this building. The architect was Allen A. Blaustein, himself the son of Polish immigrants. We don’t know much about him, other than he practiced architecture between 1922 and the 1960s. By 1961, he was the Zoning Commissioner of the Flatbush Chamber of Commerce, and in that capacity he testified at a hearing regarding re-zoning in Brooklyn. That document is on line here, and is a fascinating look at zoning hearings, real estate concerns and development, and shows that although the names change, the real estate game in this city never changes.

But back in 1925, Blaustein was a young Jewish architect, with only about three years’ experience when he was called upon to design this new synagogue. He was up to the challenge. He took elements of the Romanesque Revival and mixed them with some Baroque elements, all on top of a spare building, creating great beauty out of simplicity. Blind arches, made of cast stone, run along the sides of the building, and shelter elegant tripartite arched windows, the most striking part of this building’s design. Combined with the rose window, usually associated with Christian churches, but this time with a prominent Star of David motif, this building is seen as a fine example of the Jewish search for a historic precedent in sacred architecture.

For a great part of the late 19th century, a Moorish style of Middle Eastern architecture was used in temples and synagogues, but by the 20th century, a more Classical style was seen as appropriate for the often quite prosperous congregations in America. An excellent example is nearby Congregation Beth Elohim on 8th Avenue, built in 1908 to ’10, as Classical a building as you can get.

The anti-Semitism in the world has always forced Jews to tread this path of trying to fit in, even architecturally, and not be seen as “the other,” while still adhering to cultural and religious traditions. Today, mosques and Islamic buildings find themselves in the same boat, and a similar search for architectural identity goes on in that community. This building has been celebrated for its design and place in the community, with a place on the National Register, and recent NYC landmarking.

By 1960, Tifereth Israel had merged with two other local congregations and had become the Park Slope Jewish Center. They were one of the first Conservative congregations to offer mixed-gender seating during services, beginning in 1960, and in the 1980s were one of the first Conservative congregations to hire female rabbis. They have since embraced the changing demographics of Park Slope and America and welcome anyone who wants to celebrate their Jewish heritage, including gay and lesbian families.

For a much more detailed report on the history of the congregation, the building, and its architectural provenance and significance, please see this excellent series on the Save the Slope blog, Parts One and Two. GMAP