The Lloyd Street Synagogue is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

and Orthodox

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

former

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

located on Lloyd Street,

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, in the United States. The

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

-style building is the third oldest synagogue building in the United States and was the first synagogue building erected in Maryland. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1978 and designated as a Baltimore City Landmark in 1971. The Lloyd Street former synagogue building is now owned by the

Jewish Museum of Maryland The Jewish Museum of Maryland is located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The museum tells the story of the American Jews, American Jewish experience in the city of Baltimore and throughout the US state of Maryland. Description The museu ...

and is open to the public as a museum in the

Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark in Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The Inner Harbo ...

area of Baltimore.

History

The Lloyd Street Synagogue was built by the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, incorporated on January 29, 1830,"Baltimore Travel Itinerary-The Lloyd Street and Chizuk Amuno Synagogues
. ''National Park Service''. Retrieved December 29, 2010. as Nidche Yisroel. For the first fifteen years of its existence, services were held in a small room above a local

grocery A grocery store (American English, AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop (British English, BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food Product (business), products, which may be Fresh food, fresh or Food p ...

store. The Lloyd Street synagogue was dedicated by the Rev. S. M. Isaacs of New York and the Rev. Isaac Leeser of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, together with the ministers of the congregation, Abraham Rice and A. Ansell (Anshel). In 1889, the building was sold to The St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, a parish that served mainly

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

from

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, which used the building until 1905. In 1905, it was sold to congregation Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh, an Orthodox Jewish congregation of immigrants from Eastern Europe, which continued to use the building until 1963, when the building was threatened with demolition. The effort to preserve Lloyd Street was the impetus for the founding of the Jewish Historical Society of Maryland, now the

. Baltimore architects Robert Cary Long, Jr. and William Reasin designed the building in the fashionable Greek Revival style. Four doric columns support a classic pediment, all painted light pink. The body of the building is brick. The building is a near-twin of St. Peter the Apostle Church, designed by Long in 1842. Lloyd Street Synagogue is the third oldest synagogue building in the United States (several earlier buildings are no longer standing). The two oldest synagogue buildings, both in active use, are the

Touro Synagogue The Touro Synagogue is a synagogue built in 1763 in Newport, Rhode Island. The building has been occupied by several different congregations over the years. The current occupant is known as Congregation Ahavath Israel (). As the only surviving s ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

and Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. The building was designated as a Baltimore City Landmark in 1971, was listed on the

in 1978, and lies within the Baltimore National Heritage Area. In 2011, archaeologists uncovered a

mikveh A mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvot'', or (Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazic) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for ritual washing in Judaism#Full-body immersion, ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve Tumah and taharah, ...

under the synagogue. It is believed to be the oldest known mikveh in the United States.

References

External links

*, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust *
The Jewish Museum of Maryland websiteLloyd Street Synagogue – Explore Baltimore Heritage
{{Ethnicity in Baltimore 1830 establishments in Maryland 19th-century synagogues in the United States Baltimore City Landmarks Former Roman Catholic church buildings in Maryland Former synagogues in Maryland Greek Revival architecture in Maryland Greek Revival church buildings in Maryland Greek Revival synagogues Historic American Buildings Survey in Baltimore Jewish organizations established in 1830 Jonestown, Baltimore Lithuanian-Jewish culture in Maryland Museums in Baltimore Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore Synagogues completed in 1845 Synagogues in Baltimore Synagogues on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Synagogues preserved as museums Baltimore National Heritage Area

History

See also

References

External links