Gates of Heaven Synagogue, Madison

Gates of Heaven Synagogue, Madison

Shaarei Shamayim (Gates of Heaven) has been the name of two Jewish congregations in Madison, Wisconsin. The first, dating to the 19th century but no longer in existence, built what is now the eighth-oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States. The second congregation, dating to 1989, is the sole Reconstructionist congregation in Madison.

Madison's Shaarei Shamayim congregation was founded in 1856 by Jewish immigrants from Germany. In 1863, they built a synagogue that was designed by August Kutzbock, a recent German immigrant, in the Rundbogenstil style, a nineteenth-century German form of Romanesque revival. Kutzbock also used this distinctive style for the Carrie Pierce and Van Slyke Houses in the adjacent Mansion Hill district. The building now ranks as the eighth-oldest surviving synagogue building in the United States. The Panic of 1873 forced the lease of the building to a Unitarian congregation, and in subsequent years it was repurposed to house the Women's Christian Temperance Union, other churches, and a funeral home.

Gates of Heaven Synagogue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Today the Gates of Heaven building is used for concerts, weddings, and other gatherings, as well as serving as a polling location for local and national elections.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

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Gates of Heaven Synagogue on Map

Sight Name: Gates of Heaven Synagogue
Sight Location: Madison, USA (See walking tours in Madison)
Sight Type: Religious

Walking Tours in Madison, Wisconsin

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