19 April 2023 , 10:18
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Eerie photographs show the inside of an over 100-year-old abandoned synagogue modelled after a Byzantine palace left to rot.
Images from Memphis, Tennessee show the grandeur of this desert temple including gold detailing on the ceiling and windows. There is also a large organ dominating the stage.
Other snaps show the seating area available in the hall reported to be one of the largest in Tennessee with room for 1,200 worshippers.
These images were captured by urban explorer Leland Kent also known as Abandoned Southeast.
“In 1916, Tennessee’s oldest and largest Jewish congregation dedicated this magnificent Byzantine-inspired synagogue,” wrote Leland on his blog.
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Gloomy light fills the empty halls (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“The temple was built to replace an outdated 19th-century Moorish-style temple located a few miles away.
“Designed by local architects, the building is an excellent example of an early American domed synagogue, with a large central dome and two smaller flanking domes – a type that would become widespread by the 1920s."
The pictures show light flooding through the tall narrow windows onto the creepily empty space.
The beautiful domed ceiling has been preserved (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)
The massive organ still dominates the room (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)Leland continued: “The new sanctuary reportedly sat 1,200 patrons and had an enormous $10,000 ($220,000 today) organ.
“The building included an auditorium with a stage in the basement and 14 classrooms that were used as part of a religious school.
“This more expansive complex is indicative of changes in the function of the Jewish synagogue.
“By the early 20th century, synagogues increasingly came to serve as Jewish community centres.
The signs of decay have began to show (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“Worshipers entered through three sets of double doors, passing under an entablature carved with the biblical verse fragment, “Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself” (Leviticus 19:18)."
The congregation left in 1976 moving to a new larger campus in East Memphis.
Leland explained: “The new building was designed by Francis Gassner of Gassner, Nathan, and Partners, with Percival Goodman as consulting architect.
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“Besides the 1,500-seat main sanctuary, the modern complex includes a 300-seat chapel and 32 classrooms.
A picture looking up at the gold ceiling (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)“The synagogue was sold to a theological seminary, which occupied the site until 1996.
“When the congregation vacated the building, they took with them the ner tamid (eternal light), Torah ark doors, and Ten Commandments wall decoration, all of which were installed in the new chapel.”
Abandoned places hold a particular fascination to many, drawing daring explorers wiling to brave them.
The building has sat empty for over 25 years (mediadrumimages/LelandKent)A old theme park in Howard County, Maryland, which at its peak welcomed 300,000 visitors a day, sits crumbling, abandoned and overgrown.
Haunting pictures show rotting plaster storybook figures and undergrowth slowly or reclaiming the once jolly buildings at the former attraction.
The 1990 teen musical romcom Cry Baby, which portrayed Hollywood star Johnny Depp as a heartthrob youngster with a dark past, was shot primarily at the park and also starred Ricky Lake.