Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Temple Emanuel
Established 1900
By 1895 approximately fifty Jewish families in Pueblo County organized within an Orthodox congregation, continuing to worship in the Union Avenue building. Reform Judaism was active in Jewish communities throughout the United States since 1873, and in 1898 the Ladies Temple Association, a Reform group, established the Temple Emanuel Congregation. By 1900 the Pueblo Jewish community was large enough to establish a permanent physical presence with the building of a new synagogue.
Noted Pueblo architect Jacob M. Giles and builder George Reynolds were retained by the Temple Emanuel Congregation to design and build Temple Emanuel Synagogue. Construction commenced in March 1900 and the Synagogue was completed by July 1900. Temple Emanuel was officially dedicated on September 7, 1900 by Rabbi Emil G. Hirsh of Chicago, who at that time led the largest Reform synagogue in the United States. Colorado Governor Alva Adams was among many honored speakers at the Temple’s dedication.
Temple Emanuel is particularly noteworthy for its eclectic architecture. The Temple was designed and constructed largely in the Queen Anne style, which was at the time seldom incorporated into religious structures. Mr. Giles’ architectural plans called for a rectangular building with two prominent, octagonal gables framing the entrance. A Syrian archway, hand-hewn of regionally quarried limestone, frames two wooden doors. Other design features of the Synagogue are its massive foundation of Colorado limestone, red brick walls and widespread use of leaden stained-glass windows throughout the structure; records suggest Temple Emanuel was the first House of Worship in Southern Colorado at the time to utilize stained glass.The interior of Temple Emanuel is unique, incorporating opera-style seating for approximately 130 congregants, with each seating row gently sloping towards the Bimah, from which the Holy Torah is read during services. At the rear of the Temple sanctuary are the Temple’s Torah scrolls, housed in the Aron Ha-Kadosh, the Holy Ark.
Erected 2023 by Temple Emanuel Community, Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. series list.
Location. 38° 16.775′ N, 104° 36.714′ W. Marker is in Pueblo, Colorado, in Pueblo County. Marker is on North Grand Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1325 N Grand Avenue, Pueblo CO 81003, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Fort Pueblo (approx. 0.8 miles away); Teresita Sandoval (approx. 0.9 miles away); Borderland - Pueblo / Railroads - Pueblo Country (approx. one mile away); Jacob Fowler's Lookout - Fountain City (approx. 1½ miles away); The Mormon Battalion (approx. 1.7 miles away); Pueblo West Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.7 miles away); San Carlos de los Jupes (approx. 8.4 miles away); Pueblo - Trail Days / Industrial Frontier - Pinon County (approx. 12 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pueblo.
Regarding Temple Emanuel. Temple Emanuel, National Registry of Historic Places, 1996.
Also see . . .
1. Temple Emanuel Pueblo.
This 1900 Reform Jewish house of worship is architecturally significant as an interesting interpretation of the Queen Anne style employing both classical and Richardsonian Romanesque elements.(Submitted on September 13, 2023, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
2. Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colorado.
Temple Emanuel (Hebrew for “God be with us”) in Pueblo, Colorado is the one of the oldest synagogues still routinely used in the state. Its structure has not been altered since its dedication, and it represents the Jewish people of Pueblo who have been present since 1864.(Submitted on September 13, 2023, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
3. One Year Later: Plot to Bomb Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel.
November marks one year since the FBI arrested Richard Holzer for plotting to bomb Temple Emanuel Synagogue in Pueblo, CO. ADL welcomed last month’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that Holzer had pled guilty to federal hate crime and other charges. ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin thanked the law enforcement agencies involved in the arrest and prosecution of the case and recognized the leaders and members of Temple Emanuel Synagogue for their strength and resilience in a statement released on October 15, 2020.(Submitted on September 13, 2023, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
4. White Supremacist Who Plotted Temple Emanuel Bombing Gets 19 Years In Federal Prison.
Richard Holzer, a 28-year-old Pueblo man who plotted to bomb the town’s Jewish synagogue Temple Emanuel, was sentenced to more than 19 years in federal prison on Friday.(Submitted on September 13, 2023, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2023, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 273 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 13, 2023, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.