165-Year-Old Ex-Shul on Lower East Side Closed After Column Cracks Found

Image by angel orensanz foundation

By JTA April 3, 2014

A former synagogue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was evacuated after cracks were discovered in the building’s columns.

The building, which was evacuated during a performance gala of the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts, was closed indefinitely.

Built in 1849, the Gothic Revival synagogue once served as the home for Congregation Anshe Chesed.

It now houses the arts center, a gallery and performance space. Orensanz is a Spanish sculptor who bought the building, a landmark-protected structure, in 1986.

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