WASHINGTON 鈥� Here’s something you don’t see often 鈥� a synagogue traveling down a D.C. Street. But that’s what happened.
The historic building that once housed the original聽聽鈥� the oldest synagogue in the District 鈥� moved from its current storage location聽at the corner of 3rd and G streets Northwest, to聽3rd and F streets Northwest.
DC鈥檚 oldest synagogue, Adas Israel Synagogue, being moved to new site as construction of the Capital Jewish Museum
鈥� Melissa Howell (@Mhowell003)
Synagogue on the move here in NW
鈥� Melissa Howell (@Mhowell003)
A remote-controlled dolly system moved the building to the new site where construction of the Capital Jewish Museum is beginning. The museum is expected to be finished in 2021.
The building has been at 3rd and聽G streets for the last year and half as the聽Capitol Crossing mixed-use development is built. Capitol Crossing is a $1.3 billion project that will reconnect the east end of downtown with Capitol Hill, via a massive platform to be constructed atop Interstate 395.
Built in 1876, this was the , according to the D.C. Preservation League’s Facebook page.
The Historic Adas Israel Synagogue is on the move tomorrow for third time since 1876. Join our friends at the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum for the event! Click the link for details.
鈥� DCPreservationLeague (@DCPresLeague)
‘A really exciting day’
Rabbi Hannah Spiro of Hill Havurah offered a traditional Jewish traveler’s prayer Wednesday morning before the move.
鈥淭his is a really exciting day,鈥� said Kara Blond, the executive director of the Capital Jewish Museum.聽鈥淔or us, this is the very beginning of the building of this new museum,鈥� a facility which will 鈥渓iterally embrace the old synagogue.鈥�
For the first 30 years after its completion in 1876, the building was a synagogue, but then, Blond said,聽鈥淚t became a series of Greek Orthodox and African-American churches. It was home to a deli and a barbecue restaurant and a barbershop. It鈥檚 got this amazing urban life story.鈥�
Carolyn Alper, of D.C., said it was the second time she鈥檇 seen the synagogue move. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing to watch, isn鈥檛 it?鈥�
Alper said her grandfather used to clean the synagogue, and her father contributed to the cause of moving the building the previous time, so it wouldn鈥檛 be torn down. Her grandfather 鈥渨ould be dumfounded鈥� by the massive scale of the move. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 even drive. And to see a truck like this 鈥︹��
She said her grandfather and father would be moved by the historical significance, too.
鈥淭o see how much was invested in keeping our history moving, and to be proud of being Jewish, and to see how much effort is being made to continue their tradition, is a big deal.鈥�
WTOP’s Melissa Howell and Rick Massimo contributed to this report.
