Old B'nai Zion Synagogue
Introduction
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The Old B'nai Zion Synagogue was built in 1912 and was the city's first Jewish synagogue.
![The Old B'nai Zion Synagogue was built in 1912 and was the city's first Jewish synagogue.](https://storage.googleapis.com/clio-images/medium_2678_Old_Bnai_Zion_Synagogue_03.jpg)
Backstory and Context
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The old synagogue has an interesting history. Congregation Bnai Zion was established in 1900 and, a decade later, bought the property on which the synagogue would be built. The Greek and Gothic design, while common on the east coast at the time, was a rare sight for West Texas. The congregation moved to a new synagogue in 1927 and sold the building to the Greek Orthodox community, which renamed it St. Nicholas. The congregation occupied the building until 1962. Its next owner was a man by the name of H.J. Pandelides, who was a famous local boxer and converted it into a boxing gym. After renting the building to various organization, his family sold it to a company that converted it into a dance studio and cultural center. It is not readily apparent what the building is used for today.
Sources
Keller, Gene. "Old Bnai Zion Synagogue." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 16, 1984. https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/NR/pdfs/84001658/84001658.pdf.
"Old B'nai Zion Synagogue." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed September 12, 2019. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=60722.
Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Bnai_Zion_Synagogue#/media/File:Old_Bnai_Zion_Synagogue_03.JPG