Temple Aaron

Temple Aaron
The synagogue, in 2021
Religion
Affiliation	Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Ownership	Temple Aaron of Colorado
Status	Active
Location
Location	Trinidad, Colorado
Country	United States
Location in Colorado
Geographic coordinates	37°09′59″N 104°30′11″W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Isaac Rapp (Bulger & Rapp)
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Moorish Revival
Date established	1883 (as a congregation)
Completed	1889
Website
templeaaron.org
Temple Aaron
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Part of	Corazón de Trinidad historic district (ID73000482)
Significant dates
Designated NHL	December 13, 2023
Designated CP	February 28, 1973
[1]

Temple Aaron, officially Temple Aaron of Colorado, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 407 South Maple Street, in Trinidad, Colorado, in the United States.^[2] The temple is among the oldest synagogues in the state, and in December 2023 it was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

History

German-Jewish settlers founded the congregation in 1883,^[3] while the building was completed in 1889, designed by Isaac Rapp in the exotic Moorish Revival style. A restoration was completed in 2006.^[4]

From its peak in 1917 with 250 regular members, the congregation slowly began to decline, until the synagogue ran out of endowed funding, and the congregation could not afford to maintain the building.^[5] In 2016, the synagogue was listed for sale for $395,000^[6] and added to Colorado's most endangered properties list the following year.^[7] Over a number of years, funds were raised through a non-for-profit organisation that enabled the synagogue to be preserved.^[8]

In 1973 the temple was assessed as a contributing property in the National Register of Historic Places-listed Corazón de Trinidad historic district.^[9] On December 13, 2023, the United States Department of the Interior designated the temple a National Historic Landmark.^[10]

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in Colorado
• List of the oldest synagogues in the United States

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "Temple Aaron". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 23, 2007.
3. "History". Temple Aaro. Retrieved May 12, 2020.^{[self-published source?]}
4. "Swiss-Born Stone Mason and Son Have the 'Right Stuff' To Restore Historic Trinidad Synagogue: Father taught son special skills needed to restore 1889 Temple Aaron". Supporting History, Colorado History NOW. March 2006.
5. Schreiber, Alana (November 29, 2021). "How to save a synagogue: Remembering the rededication of a historic temple in Trinidad, Colorado" (streaming audio and transcript). KUNC; National Public Radio. Colorado. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
6. Paul, Jesse (October 6, 2016). "Why Colorado's longest-operating Jewish temple — one of the oldest in the West — has closed after 127 years" (streaming audio and transcript). The Denver Post. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
7. Paul, Jesse (February 2, 2017). "Temple Aaron in Trinidad, 128-year-old shuttered synagogue, added to list of Colorado's most endangered places" (streaming audio and transcript). The Denver Post. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
8. Boster, Seth (March 21, 2022). "Colorado's oldest synagogue refuses to fade: The miracle of Temple Aaron". Pikes Peak Courier. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
9. Grant, Kim (December 10, 2020). "Trinidad's Temple Aaron Looks to the Past to Secure Its Future". History Colorado. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
10. "Secretary Haaland designates 18 new sites of natural, historical significance" (Press release). Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of the Interior. December 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.

External links

Media related to Temple Aaron (Trinidad, Colorado) at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website