Did you know that Baltimore is home to one of the oldest synagogues in the nation? Built in 1845 at the center of the historic Jewish community of East Baltimore, the Lloyd Street Synagogue was the first synagogue erected in Maryland and today it is the third-oldest standing synagogue in the country. Please join us for a tour of this rare restored landmark with preservation architect John Srygley, AIA, and the staff of the Jewish Museum of Maryland (also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year).
Tour Information
Note: We are holding two identical tours. The first starts with a reception at 5:00 and the tour at 5:30, and the second starts with a reception at 6:00 and the tour at 6:30.
Date: Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Time: 5:00 p.m. reception; 5:30 to 6:30 tour
6:00 p.m. reception; 6:30 to 7:30 tour
Place: Jewish Museum of Maryland, 15 Lloyd Street (Baltimore, MD 21202)
We’ll walk next door to the Lloyd Street Synagogue after meeting at the Museum.
Free parking is available in a lot across from the Museum. It is a brick lot in front of the Museum entrance.
Cost: $15 (includes wine and cheese reception)
Registration: Click Here to Register!
Built in 1845 by the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, the Lloyd Street Synagogue was designed by noted Baltimore architect Robert Cary Long, Jr. in a Greek Revival style. Architect William H. Reasin expanded the building in 1861, maintaining the original façade and the classical style of the sanctuary. The building was home to the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation from its beginning through 1889, when it transitioned into a catholic church. St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, one of the first Lithuanian “ethnic” parishes in the United States, owned and worshipped there through 1905. In another flip, Shomrei Mishmeres HaKodesh, one of the leading Orthodox Jewish congregations of the Eastern European immigrant community, bought the building in 1905. In the early 1960s, the synagogue was threatened with demolition and the Jewish Museum of Maryland was formed to purchase and care for this historic landmark. In 2008, the Museum began an ambitious $1 million restoration project with the help of the prestigious Save America’s Treasure’s Program. The work restored the building to its 1864 appearance and created a multimedia exhibit, The Building Speaks, to interpret this rich history. The work also won a Historic Preservation Award from Baltimore Heritage in 2009! Please join us for an evening of wine and cheese at the Lloyd Street Synagogue to learn more about the history of this great historic building and the hard work that has gone into its preservation and restoration.