Beth Sholom Congregation

Elkins Park, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Phone: +12158871342

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

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Beth Sholom Synagogue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, is the only Jewish house of worship designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Completed in 1959—after Wright's death—the main building features a hexagonal base crowned by a striking tetrahedron-shaped pyramidal roof, 100 feet tall and sheathed in corrugated plastic and wire glass suspended between three steel-and-concrete beams. The structure's facade combines glass, steel, and reinforced concrete. Inside, the hexagonal sanctuary spans 175 feet and accommodates more than 1,000 seats arranged on a sloping floor that faces an eastern bimah, with the ceiling rising toward the roof. A doughnut-shaped annex, designed by Israel Demchick and Thalheimer & Weitz and opened in 1951, serves as school and auditorium. The congregation, established in 1919, moved to this suburban location after World War II. Now a National Historic Landmark, Beth Sholom represents one of Wright's final and most distinctive commissions.

Architect

Frank Lloyd Wright

Movement

modern architecture

Built: 1956
Type: synagogue
Heritage: Pennsylvania state historical marker, National Register of Historic Places listed place
Place: Elkins Park, United States

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Location

40.08222, -75.12667