The Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue, commonly called the Frank Memorial Synagogue, is a historical Jewish synagogue, located on the grounds of Jefferson Einstein Hospital, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The synagogue was funded substantially by Rose S. Frank and named in honor of her late husband, Henry S. Frank, a philanthropist who died in 1887.[2]
| Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue | |
|---|---|
 The former synagogue, in 2010 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Rite | Nusach Ashkenaz |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
| Location | |
| Location | 5501 Old York Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19141 |
| Country | United States |
  Location of the former synagogue in Philadelphia | |
| Geographic coordinates | 40°2′13″N 75°8′37″W / 40.03694°N 75.14361°W |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) |
|
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Classical Revival |
| Completed | 1901 |
| Materials | Limestone, granite, ceramic tiling |
Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue | |
| NRHP reference No. | 83002267 |
| Added to NRHP | July 12, 1983 |
| [1] | |
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[3]
History
editThe synagogue was built in 1901 on the grounds of the Jewish Hospital of Philadelphia, now the Jefferson Einstein Hospital;[4][5] and is the only synagogue in the world known to be located on hospital grounds.[6]
The architect, Arnold W. Brunner, was inspired by the recent publication of images of several Roman-era synagogues in Israel, particularly the handsome and largely intact synagogue at Kfar Bar'am. Several synagogues had been studied by the British Palestine Exploration Fund and illustrations were published in the Jewish Encyclopedia.[4]
The Frank Memorial synagogue replicated the round arch of the door of the standing ruin at Kfar Bar'am, and the lintel from the smaller synagogue at Kfar Bar'am that is now in the Louvre. The inscription on the lintel is taken from that inscription and reads, in Hebrew, "Peace be upon the place, and on all the places of Israel."[4] Over the door is a seven-branched Menorah in a wreath, copied from the ancient Nabratein synagogue.[4] The synagogue's floors are set with mosaics, although it was built before mosaic synagogue floors had been discovered in ancient synagogues in Israel.[4]
The supervising architect was Frank Furness, who had been the principal architect of the Jewish Hospital since 1871.[7]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Friedenwald, Herbert (1910). "Rose S. Frank". American Jewish Historical Society (19): 201–02. JSTOR 43057863. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue". Archiplanet. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Fine, Steven (2005). "Chapter 1: Building an Ancient Synagogue on the Delaware: Philadelphia's Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue and Constructions of Jewish Art at the Turn of the Twentieth Century". Art and Judaism in the Greco-Roman world: toward a new Jewish archaeology (PDF). Cambridge University Press. pp. 12–21. ISBN 0-521-84491-6.
- ^ Skirble, Rosanne (March 2, 2022). "The Magic of Logan". The Tablet. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ "Belated centennial celebration to be held June 4 for historic Philadelphia synagogue. Ex-Allentown couple were instrumental in building's preservation". Morning Call. April 7, 2002. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ "Jewish Exponent". American Architect and Architecture. 69 (1290) (September 13, 1901 ed.): xii. September 15, 1900.
Further reading
edit- The Frank Synagogue: Celebrating 100 Years. Philadelphia, PA: Albert Einstein Healthcare Network. 2001.
External links
edit- "5501 Old York Rd" (static historic images). Phillyhistory.org. City of Philadelphia. 2024.
- Smith, Tyler (2006). "Review of Steven Fine's Art and Judaism in the Greco-Roman World: Toward a New Jewish Archaeology". Bryn Mawr Classical Review. Bryn Mawr College.
- "Henry S. Frank Memorial Synagogue" (moving panoramic imagery of the synagogue's interior). Synagogues 360. 2024.
- Gruber, Samuel D. (2011). "Arnold W. Brunner and the new classical synagogue in America". Jewish History. 25 (1) (Special issue on Synagogue Architecture in Context ed.). Springer: 69–102. doi:10.1007/s10835-010-9128-5. JSTOR 41478218. S2CID 159852656 – via JSTOR.