‘A gem in the city of Pittsburgh’
Council votes to designate Rodef Shalom in Shadyside historic landmark
The home of Western Pennsylvania’s oldest Jewish congregation has been designated a historic structure in the city of Pittsburgh by a unanimous City Council vote on Tuesday.
Rodef Shalom in Shadyside is the first Jewish temple to be put on the city’s register of historic places.
“I think most people look at the structure and already assume it’s designated as historic,” said councilwoman Erika Strassburger. “It is a gem in the city of Pittsburgh.”
The first Jewish congregation to settle west of the Allegheny Mountains, Rodef Shalom has had three different locations in Pittsburgh since its inception.
The building up for designation was the congregation’s third home and was built in 1906. It now has four sections roughly shaped like a plus sign: the sanctuary, a religious education wing, a social hall and a two-story covered entrance that vehicles can drive through.
All were built at different times throughout the congregation’s history, but the sanctuary broke ground in 1906 and was designed by Henry Hornsbostel.
Other parts of the building were designed by local architects who, at the time, were also members of the congregation.
The sanctuary, which was the first portion built, still has most of its original outside design features, according to the nomination packet.
The building was put on the National Historic Register in 1977.
Matthew Falcone, Rodef Shalom’s Board of Trustees president, said it was wonderful for the congregation to be recognized in this way especially “at such a difficult moment” for the Jewish community, as antisemitic acts have been on the rise across the nation.
been on the rise across the nation.
“It’s really nice to be able to think back about all of the positives and wonderful connections that were and that still are even kind of despite difficult times,” Mr. Falcone said, who has been working at this congregation for about 13 years.
The idea of applying for the designation came out of the pandemic, Mr. Falcone explained.
When it first started, he and other congregation members spent a lot of time inside the building, doing repairs and restoration work, but also looking through old archives, he said.
“I think it brought back all the history and wanted to be able to celebrate it,” Mr. Falcone said.
Mr. Falcone submitted the 70-page application to be designated a historic structure to the city in November, during the celebration of the congregation’s 165th anniversary.
Inside the application, the congregation had to supply photos and outline what qualifications the building met so that it could be considered for the designation.
During a public hearing on the designation, speakers emphasized to City Council that this wasn’t just for a building, but for the people inside of it and the impact they have on the city.
“While we are tremendously proud of our building, it is the accomplishments of the members of our congregation that are always at the forefront of our mind,” Mr. Falcone said.
He went on to say that throughout the congregation’s history, members have formed community groups, worked on projects like the polio vaccine and have even been to the moon.
“The building is beautiful. It is stately, but it is also a community center,” Barb Feige, the congregation’s interim executive director said during the hearing. “It serves as the location for numerous community activities.”
After the Tree of Life shooting in 2018, Rodef Shalom has been the home for two of the congregations impacted by the shooting, Ms. Feige said.
“This designation has much meaning to us in the history of Pittsburgh and the history of Jewish Pittsburgh and it will enable us to preserve both the magnificence of the physical structure and of the history of being a community center.”