Although Jews had arrived in Bloomington by the 1850s, the synagogue was organized in 1884 and named for Sir Moses Montefiore. On May 21, 1889, the congregation dedicated a Romanesque Revival / Moorish Revival synagogue building at the southeast corner of Monroe and Prairie Streets.[1][2] It is one of the relatively few surviving 19th century synagogue buildings in the United States.[3]
In 1959 the congregation moved to a new building in the Fairway Knolls neighborhood.[1]
As of 1996[update] the Monroe and Prairie Streets former synagogue building was used as a Baptist church.[4] Peter Warshaw purchased the property in 1993 and the former synagogue and former church was subsequently converted in a private residence. The new owners won the Landmarks Illinois 2001 Adaptive Reuse Award.[5]
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