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The first stage of restoration of the decaying Eldridge Street Synagogue, largest and grandest shul on the Lower East Side and the first built there by Eastern European Jews, has been completed.
Five years ago, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger described the synagogue as "one of New York City's finest houses of worship," but added, "it is falling apart."
"Well, it is not falling apart anymore," said architect David Abramson, who has just finished supervising six months of what he termed rescue work" on the nearly century old building.
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the synagogue at 12 Eldridge St. (between Canal and Division streets) has been in continuous use since it was built in 1886. But the small congregation's daily minyan has been meeting in the basement since the early 1930s, when the main sanctuary was closed and sealed for lack of funds.
The first restoration stage, which cost $78,000, stabilized the building to prevent further deterioration. Torrents of...