On a narrow block between Canal and Division Streets, surrounded by Fujianese restaurants and wholesale shops, stands a towering Moorish Revival facade with a giant rose window. The Eldridge Street Synagogue opened in 1887, when this corner of the Lower East Side was the center of Jewish immigrant life in America. Today it sits in the heart of Chinatown, and its story is one of the best ways to understand how the neighborhood has changed, and how it still eats.
TL;DR
- The Eldridge Street Synagogue, at 12 Eldridge Street, was dedicated in September 1887 by Eastern European Jewish immigrants.
- The Museum at Eldridge Street describes it as the first great house of worship built in the United States by Eastern European Jewish immigrants.
- After decades of decline, a 20-year, 20 million dollar restoration was completed in 2007.
- It is a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark, and it still hosts a small congregation.
- The museum is open Sunday through Friday, and its annual Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Street Festival celebrates the neighborhood’s Jewish, Chinese and Puerto Rican communities.
- It is a short walk from stops on both the Lower East Side and Chinatown and Little Italy food tours from Nice Guy Tours.
A Grand Synagogue for a New Community
Between 1880 and 1924, the Lower East Side became, in the museum’s words, the most densely populated Jewish community on the planet. Most of the new arrivals worshipped in small storefront or tenement rooms. The congregation Kahal Adath Jeshurun, later joined by Anshe Lubz, wanted something grander: a purpose-built synagogue that announced the community had arrived to stay (Source: Museum at Eldridge Street).
The congregation hired the Herter Brothers, German-born architects Peter and Francis William Herter, who also designed many Lower East Side tenements. The synagogue was dedicated in September 1887. Its design blends Moorish Revival horseshoe arches with Gothic and Romanesque elements, capped by a large rose window over Eldridge Street (Source: National Park Service, 2024).
The Museum at Eldridge Street calls the building the first great house of worship built in the United States by Eastern European Jewish immigrants. The National Park Service describes it as one of the first grand synagogues built by Eastern European Orthodox Jews in the country. Either way, it was a landmark moment for the community.
Decline and a 20-Year Restoration
After the immigration quota laws of 1924 slowed new arrivals, many Jewish families moved from the Lower East Side to Brooklyn, the Bronx and beyond. The congregation shrank, and by the mid-1950s the grand main sanctuary had been sealed shut. The remaining congregation moved downstairs to a smaller chapel, and according to the museum, it never missed a Sabbath service (Source: Museum at Eldridge Street; National Park Service).
Preservationists rediscovered the building in the 1980s. What followed was a 20-year, 20 million dollar restoration, supported by more than 18,000 donors and completed in December 2007. In 2010, a new east window designed by artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans was installed, replacing glass blocks that had filled the opening for decades (Source: Museum at Eldridge Street).
Eldridge Street Synagogue Timeline
| Year | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1887 | Synagogue dedicated at 12 Eldridge Street | Museum at Eldridge Street; National Park Service |
| 1924 | Immigration quotas begin slowing arrivals; congregation starts to shrink | Museum at Eldridge Street |
| Mid-1950s | Main sanctuary sealed; congregation worships downstairs | National Park Service |
| 1980 | Designated a New York City landmark (LP-1107) | NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission |
| 1996 | Named a National Historic Landmark | National Park Service |
| 2007 | 20-year, 20 million dollar restoration completed | Museum at Eldridge Street |
| 2010 | New east window by Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans installed | Museum at Eldridge Street |
Visiting the Museum at Eldridge Street
The Museum at Eldridge Street operates inside the restored synagogue. As of September 2026, it is open Sunday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Saturdays. Admission is 15 dollars for adults, 10 dollars for students and seniors, and 8 dollars for children ages 5 to 17, with pay-what-you-wish admission on Mondays and Fridays (Source: Museum at Eldridge Street, eldridgestreet.org).
Tour options
- History and Culture Tour, about 45 to 60 minutes inside the sanctuary.
- Jewish Lower East Side Walking Tour, about 60 to 90 minutes in the surrounding streets.
- Self-guided visits using the Bloomberg Connects app.
- Private group tours, booked at least two weeks ahead.
Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas: The Neighborhood’s Food Story
The best illustration of how the neighborhood has changed is a festival. Since 2001, the museum has hosted a street festival on Eldridge Street celebrating the Jewish and Chinese communities that have shared these blocks, originally called Egg Rolls and Egg Creams. Empanadas were later added to honor the neighborhood’s Puerto Rican community, and today it is the Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Street Festival. The 25th annual festival took place on June 21, 2026, with kosher egg rolls, egg creams, empanadas, Chinese opera and klezmer music (Source: Museum at Eldridge Street).
Step outside the synagogue any day of the year and you will see the same story on the street. Eldridge Street and nearby East Broadway are now part of Manhattan’s Little Fuzhou, a Fujianese community distinct from the older Cantonese blocks around Mott Street.
The Synagogue and Nice Guy Tours
Nice Guy Tours, a walking food tour company in New York City, runs two routes that pass through this part of the city. The Lower East Side Food Tour tells the story of the Jewish immigrant neighborhood through its delis, bakeries and appetizing shops. The Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour visits Little Fuzhou, with stops including Shu Jiao Fu Zhou on Grand Street near Eldridge Street and North Dumpling on Division Street, a short walk from the synagogue. The Eldridge Street Synagogue sits close to both stops, making it an ideal place to visit before or after either tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Eldridge Street Synagogue still an active synagogue?
Yes. A small congregation still worships in the building, while the restored main sanctuary operates as the Museum at Eldridge Street.
How much does it cost to visit the Museum at Eldridge Street?
As of September 2026, adult admission is 15 dollars, with discounts for students, seniors and children and pay-what-you-wish admission on Mondays and Fridays. Check the museum’s website before visiting.
Why is there a synagogue in Chinatown?
When the synagogue opened in 1887, the surrounding blocks were the heart of the Jewish Lower East Side. As Jewish families moved to other boroughs in the 20th century, Chinese and later Fujianese immigrants settled in the same streets, and Chinatown grew around the building.
When is the Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Festival?
The festival is held each June on Eldridge Street. The 2026 edition, the festival’s 25th, took place on June 21.
Who designed the Eldridge Street Synagogue?
The synagogue was designed by the Herter Brothers, Peter and Francis William Herter, in a Moorish Revival style with Gothic and Romanesque elements.
Summary
- The Eldridge Street Synagogue opened in 1887 as a landmark of Eastern European Jewish immigration.
- After decades of decline, a 20-year restoration brought it back in 2007.
- It is now the Museum at Eldridge Street, open Sunday through Friday, and still home to a small congregation.
- Its annual festival and its Little Fuzhou surroundings tell the story of a neighborhood shared by successive immigrant communities.
- It sits steps from stops on two Nice Guy Tours routes.
See the synagogue, then taste the neighborhood around it. Book the Nice Guy Tours Lower East Side Food Tour or the Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour.