Temple Beth-El – Broadway

Beth-El congregation, organized in 1902 with 43 founding members, was the first in Fort Worth to adhere to the tenets of Reform Judaism. By 1908 a temple had been erected downtown on Fifth and Taylor. The present site was purchased in 1919 and the existing temple completed in the fall of 1920. The builder was prominent Fort Worth contractor, William Bryce. Gutted by fire in 1946, the interior was rebuilt, keeping the original walls. The structure is a red-brick rectangular block with white cast stone base and trim, arched entries and windows. Ornament includes depictions of menorahs over the front entry. A two-story education building at the rear of the temple opened in 1962. The building may be eligible for the National Register; however, further documentation of its integrity following the post-fire reconstruction is necessary. The education building was designed by Larry Morton Gernsbacher and erected by Paschall-Sanders Construction Company. The Temple received a Demolition Delay designation in 1995. It has been vacant since the congregation moved to its new location in Southwest Fort Worth in 2001. The stone menorahs as well as some windows were removed and installed at the new synagogue. It is no longer owned by the congregation. Future plans for the building have not been announced. The lower photo was taken in 2006.

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