Temple Aaron
A view of the front façade of the temple
The synagogue, in 2021
Religion
AffiliationReform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
OwnershipTemple Aaron of Colorado
StatusActive
Location
LocationTrinidad, Colorado
CountryUnited States
Temple Aaron is located in Colorado
Temple Aaron
Location in Colorado
Geographic coordinates37°09′59″N 104°30′11″W / 37.16635°N 104.50292°W / 37.16635; -104.50292
Architecture
Architect(s)Isaac Rapp (Bulger & Rapp)
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleMoorish Revival
Date established1883 (as a congregation)
Completed1889
Website
templeaaron.org
Temple Aaron
Part ofCorazón de Trinidad historic district (ID73000482)
Significant dates
Designated NHLDecember 13, 2023
Designated CPFebruary 28, 1973
[1]

Temple Aaron, officially Temple Aaron of Colorado, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 407 South Maple Street, in Trinidad, Colorado, in the United States.[2] The temple is among the oldest synagogues in the state and, in December 2023, was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

History

German-Jewish settlers founded the congregation in 1883,[3] while the building was completed in 1889, designed by Isaac Rapp in the exotic Moorish Revival style. A restoration was completed in 2006.[4]

From its peak in 1917 with 250 regular members, the congregation slowly began to decline, until the synagogue ran out of endowed funding, and the congregation could not afford to maintain the building.[5] In 2016, the synagogue was listed for sale for $395,000;[6] and added to Colorado's most endangered properties list the following year.[7] Over a number of years, funds were raised through a non-for-profit organisation that enabled the synagogue to be preserved.[8]

In 1973 the temple was assessed as a contributing property in the National Register of Historic Places-listed Corazón de Trinidad historic district.[9] On December 13, 2023, the United States Department of the Interior designated the temple a National Historic Landmark.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "Temple Aaron". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 23, 2007.
  3. ^ "History". Temple Aaro. Retrieved May 12, 2020.[self-published source?]
  4. ^ "Swiss-Born Stone Mason and Son Have the 'Right Stuff' To Restore Historic Trinidad Synagogue: Father taught son special skills needed to restore 1889 Temple Aaron". Supporting History, Colorado History NOW. March 2006.
  5. ^ Schreiber, Alana (November 29, 2021). "How to save a synagogue: Remembering the rededication of a historic temple in Trinidad, Colorado" (streaming audio and transcript). KUNC; National Public Radio. Colorado. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ^ Paul, Jesse (October 6, 2016). "Why Colorado's longest-operating Jewish temple — one of the oldest in the West — has closed after 127 years" (streaming audio and transcript). The Denver Post. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ^ Paul, Jesse (February 2, 2017). "Temple Aaron in Trinidad, 128-year-old shuttered synagogue, added to list of Colorado's most endangered places" (streaming audio and transcript). The Denver Post. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  8. ^ Boster, Seth (March 21, 2022). "Colorado's oldest synagogue refuses to fade: The miracle of Temple Aaron". Pikes Peak Courier. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Grant, Kim (December 10, 2020). "Trinidad's Temple Aaron Looks to the Past to Secure Its Future". History Colorado. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "Secretary Haaland designates 18 new sites of natural, historical significance" (Press release). Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of the Interior. December 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.

External links

Media related to Temple Aaron (Trinidad, Colorado) at Wikimedia Commons


Synagogues in the United States
Categories