B'Nai Israel Synagogue
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Bethel Temple Assembly of God (B'Nai Israel Synagogue)
1924, Levi J. Dean. 1960, Albert F. Tucker. Southeast corner of 9th Ave. and 9th St.
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(West Virginia Collection within the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division) -
Bethel Temple Assembly of God (B'Nai Israel Synagogue) (S. Allen Chambers, Jr.)
Almost contemporaneous with the larger Ohev Sholom (next entry), a block away, this colorful little structure displays a clever combination of Eastern and Georgian motifs. Dark brick corner bastions, lightened by recessed blind arches filled with yellow tile, flank a triple-arched entrance, also highlighted with yellow tile. Terracotta columns with Byzantine caps support arches that spring just before becoming true horseshoe, or Moorish, arches. A wheel window is above the entrance, and above the window a curved cornice supports a panel representing the Tablets of the Law. Though the building is small, its well-thought-out components, based on Near Eastern architectural precedents, clearly identify it as a temple, not a church. In 1975 its orthodox congregation merged with Ohev Sholom Temple, and now, architectural considerations aside, the former synagogue serves as a church.
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