Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

New Jersey Historic Trust Affiliated with the Department of Community Affairs

Metropolitan Baptist Church/Oheb Shalom

New Jersey Historic Preservation Bond Program
Grant Award: $200,000 (1995); $300,000 (1996)
Grant Recipient: Greater Newark Conservancy, Inc.
County: Essex
Municipality: Newark City

The second oldest surviving synagogue in New Jersey was built in 1884 and reflects the Moorish Revival style, which referred to the Jewish presence in North Africa and Spain from 1000 to 1492. Jewish congregations, beginning with Oheb Shalom, occupied the building until 1939. The Metropolitan Baptist Church worshiped there from 1940 to 1993, eventually moving to a larger complex.

The 1996 grant helped fund exterior rehabilitation, including masonry restoration, reconstruction of the missing pavilion, restoration of the decorative sheet metal, and repair and replacement of stained glass windows. A 1995 grant helped fund exterior stabilization and restoration. Once threatened by demolition, the building is now being transformed for use as the Urban Environmental Center, a project of the Greater Newark Conservancy.

For more information, visit: http://www.citybloom.org/our-center.htm


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