| Congregation B'nai Israel | |
|---|---|
 The synagogue, in 2018 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership | Rabbi Arthur W. Flicker(Emeritus) |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 4401 Indian School Road NE,Albuquerque,New Mexico 87110 |
| Country | United States |
  Location inNew Mexico | |
| Coordinates | 35°6′7″N106°35′41″W / 35.10194°N 106.59472°W /35.10194; -106.59472 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | George Wynn |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Expressionist |
| Established | 1920(as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1971 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 500 worshipers |
| Height (max) | 43 feet (13 m) |
| Materials | Polyurethane foam, timber, brick, glass |
| Website | |
| bnaiisrael-nm | |
Congregation B'nai Israel | |
| NRHP reference No. | 100003674 |
| NMSRCP No. | 2051 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 2, 2019 |
| Designated NMSRCP | February 15, 2019 |
| [1][2] | |
Congregation B'nai Israel is a historicConservativeJewish congregation andsynagogue, located at 4401 Indian School Road NE, inAlbuquerque,New Mexico, in the United States. The building is notable for its distinctiveExpressionist design by George Wynn, including an unusual undulating conical roof formed from polyurethane foam, as well as its importance in the city's Jewish community.[3] The synagogue was completed in 1971 and was listed on theNew Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and theNational Register of Historic Places in 2019.
Congregation B'nai Israel was established in 1920, meeting in various temporary locations until the first synagogue was completed in 1941 at Coal and Cedar. By the 1960s, the congregation needed more room to expand and purchased a new site at Indian School and Washington. Fundraising for the new building began in 1967 but was put on hold when the congregation decided to send most of the money to support Israel in theSix-Day War instead.[4] The campaign was restarted in 1968, and ground was broken on the new building in December 1969.[5]
The synagogue was formally dedicated in December 1971[6] and has remained in use since. The lobby was expanded and remodeled in 1990.[7] In 2019, the building was added to theNew Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and theNational Register of Historic Places.
The synagogue was designed by local architect George Wynn and comprises a large circular sanctuary with an adjoining social hall and education wing at the rear. The sanctuary is 100 feet (30 m) in diameter and 43 feet (13 m) high with a distinctivepolyurethane foam roof shaped like a ribbed tent.[4] The roof is supported by twelve massive pre-stressed laminatedfir beams, each weighing over 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg), which were shipped from Oregon by rail.[8] Wynn said he chose the design simply for its emotional impact, and that allusions to theTwelve Tribes of Israel and the desert tents of theExodus were coincidental, though appropriate.[7]
The space between the beams is filled in with brown brickcurtain walls with a glassclerestory under theeaves. The interior of the sanctuary has about 500 seats and a ribbed ceiling of knottyspruce with a skylight at the apex.[7] The rear wing is two stories in height with brown brick walls and a flat roof.[9]
