Museum at Eldridge Street

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Built in 1887 by the Lower East Side's first wave of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, the Eldridge Street Synagogue was a thriving community center from the early 1900s through the 1940s, when its founders and supporters began to move out of the neighborhood. Formed in 1986 to restore the neglected building, the Eldridge Street Project obtained historic landmark status for the building in 1996, and transformed it into the Museum at Eldridge Street in 2007. The synagogue's restored façade, Moorish ornamentation, vaulted 50-foot ceilings, intricate stained glass windows, including a monumental piece by internationally acclaimed artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans added in 2010, and 740-person capacity sanctuary, recall the building's former grandeur. (A smaller prayer space downstairs, complete with an original ark, still holds weekly services for an orthodox congregation.) However, the museum is committed to running exclusively non-sectarian events—concerts, readings, tours, architecture lectures and neighborhood parties—which re-envision the site as a meeting place for "bubbes and hipsters." — Lori Cole

Historical and Architectural Tours ($12 adult, $10 student/senior) run during normal hours; School Tours ($6 per child, $1 for NYC public school students) are by appointment only. Walking Tours for groups of 10 or more are by appointment only; call 212-219-0302.

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Featured In

• Architecture Review: Eldridge Street Synagogue and Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center (1/14/08)