B'Nai Israel Synagogue in Pittsburgh's Garfield recommended for historic designation

Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission and Planning Commission have recommended the former B’nai Israel Synagogue in Garfield for historic designation.

The North Negley Avenue site was recently redeveloped into a 45-unit, mixed-income housing complex called The Carina. Boston-based Beacon Communities, which owns the site, nominated the former synagogue for historic designation at the city level. It also is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, according to Angelique Bamberg, a historic preservation consultant for Beacon Communities.

Sarah Quinn of Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning said the former synagogue and school is “known for its glittering mosaics,” as well as the reliefs that help create a “unified appearance” between the original structure and later additions.

The B’nai Israel Synagogue was built in the 1920s, Quinn said, and has seen renovations as recently as last year. It closed as a synagogue in 1969, Quinn said.

“Anybody who’s driven up North Negley Avenue has seen this building and really notices it and remembers it,” she said, adding that many people have said they thought it already was designated as a historic site.

The building “maintains its character-defining features,” she said, and is an example of Byzantine design, “which is very unique for the city of Pittsburgh.”

The synagogue was designed by Henry Hornbostel, who also designed the campuses of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, Quinn said. Hornbostel also designed Shadyside’s Rodef Shalom synagogue, which was granted historic designation.

The historic designation nomination now moves to City Council for final approval.