328 S. 5th St., Virginia, Minnesota. County/parish: St. Louis.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places August 18, 1980. NRIS 80004356.
1 contributing building.The B'nai Abraham Synagogue is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, now repurposed as a Jewish history museum and performance venue, located in Virginia, Minnesota, in the United States. It was constructed in 1909 as the first purpose-built synagogue on the Iron Range. It served as the heart of the local Jewish community in the early 20th century. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its local significance in the themes of religion and social history. It was nominated for attesting both to the ethnic diversity of the Iron Range and to the commonality of its immigrant groups maintaining cohesion around religious centers.
A declining congregation forced the synagogue to close its doors in the mid-1990s. However, community support and renovations have preserved B'nai Abraham as a museum and cultural center.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93202905