Religious Structures
Immanuel Lutheran Church
645 Poplar St.
Architecture: Gothic Revival
This magnificent church was constructed in 1885 by the German Evangelical Lutheran Congregation at a cost of $25,000. The building was designed by J.A. Vrydagh, a local architect. Built in the Gothic Revival style, it features pointed arches and a steeply-pitched roof, leading to a strong impression of verticality that evokes the medieval cathedrals of Europe. The church also features treatment in a traditional German aesthetic.
Former Washington Avenue Presbyterian Church
619 Washington Ave.
Architecture: Romanesque Revival
The Washington Ave Presbyterian Church was completed in 1894. It features a masonry exterior with numerous large, round arches, the typical characteristics of Romanesque Revival architecture. Note the distinctive red door, stained glass windows, and secondary turret at the left of the photo. The structure currently houses the main facilities for a drug recovery community.
United Hebrew Congregation (Temple Israel)
540 S. 6th St.
Architecture: Neoclassical
This synagogue, originally known as Temple Israel, was built in 1911 for the local Reform Jewish Congregation and designed by Chicago architect Simon Eisendrath. It is a standard example of 20th-century Neoclassical architecture. An imposing structure, the synagogue features a stone facade with a prominent pediment supported by two ionic columns. Following the closure of Temple B’nai Abraham, United Hebrew Congregation became the sole synagogue in Terre Haute and is the oldest active synagogue in Indiana.
Former Temple B’nai Abraham
300 S. 5th St.
Architecture: Jacobethan Revival
Temple B’nai Abraham was built in 1927 by an Orthodox Jewish congregation to replace a smaller synagogue at 12th and Mulberry Streets. The rectangular building features Jacobethan Revival brickwork patterns and stone accents. In 1935, the Orthodox congregation joined with the Reform congregation (Temple Israel) to form the United Hebrew Congregation, the first successful merger of Reform and Orthodox congregations in the United States. Both synagogues remained in use following the merger. Temple B’nai Abraham was closed in the early ‘60s, and the former synagogue became the Wabash Senior Citizens Center.