The First Roumanian-American Congregation (Shaarey Shamoyim) at 89 Rivington Street has been called the "Cantors' Carnegie Hall" because of its many famous congregants (mostly in music).

The congregation had been dwindling for many years. In January 2006, the building suffered a roof collapse.

Young Israel Beth El of Borough Park, also known for its cantors, has been called "Brooklyn's Carnegie Hall."


Wikipedia: First Roumanian-American Congregation
The First Roumanian-American Congregation, also known as Congregation Shaarey Shomayim (Hebrew: שַׁעֲרֵי שָׁמַיִם, lit. 'Gates of Heaven'), or the Roumanishe Shul (Yiddish for "Romanian synagogue"), was an Orthodox Jewish congregation at 89–93 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The congregation was organized in 1885[14] by Romanian-Jewish immigrants, serving the Lower East Side's large Romanian-Jewish community. The Rivington Street building, erected around 1860, switched between being a church and a synagogue and was extensively remodeled in 1889. The First Roumanian-American congregation purchased it in 1902 and again remodeled it.

The synagogue became famous as the "Cantor's Carnegie Hall", because of its high ceiling, good acoustics, and seating for up to 1,800 people. Yossele Rosenblatt, Moshe Koussevitzky, Zavel Kwartin, Moishe Oysher, Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker were all cantors there. Red Buttons sang in the choir, George Burns was a member, and Edward G. Robinson had his Bar Mitzvah there.

Wikipedia: Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall (/ˈkɑːrnɪɡi/ KAR-nig-ee) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, it is one of the most prestigious venues in the world for both classical music and popular music. Carnegie Hall has its own artistic programming, development, and marketing departments and presents about 250 performances each season. It is also rented out to performing groups.

http://gothamcenter.com/resource/detail.cfm?id=206&ff=Houses
First Roumanian American Congregation
89 Rivington Street
This red brick former Methodist church was built in 1850. It is known as "the Cantor's Carnegie Hall" because opera stars Jan Peerce, Richard Tucker and others launched their careers here.

Administrator: Lower East Side Conservancy
Phone: (212) 598-1200
URL: http://www.nycjewishtours.org
Category: Houses
Subject: Religion
Time Period: 19th Century since Civil War

http://jb14.org/?fuseaction=synagogues&id=1007&SESSION_ID=943b70b9f1d88389394f4e530c40a5d0
First Roumanian American Congregation
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Denomination: Orthodox
Congregational Makeup:
Rabbi: Shmuel A. Spiegel

Established in 1860, the Roumanian congregation acquired this red brick, former Methodist Church in 1882 and converted it to a synagogue the same year. Its elaborate sanctuary is one of the largest in the city, seating over 1600. The synagogue was recognized internationally as a center for cantorial music; known as "the Cantor's Carnegie Hall."
Main Location: First Roumanian American Congregation
Street Address: 89 Rivington Street
Cross Streets: Orchard Street and Ludlow Street

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LES/LES036.htm
First Roumanian-American Congregation, Shaarey Shamoyim (Gates of Heaven).

This 2,000-seat sanctuary was originally built around 1857 as the German Evangelical Church. Designed to convert Jews, it was bought in 1864 by Shaaray Hashomayim, New York's oldest Orthodox German-Jewish congregation. It reverted to a church in 1890, when a Methodist mission society moved the Allen Street Memorial Church here. Finally the current congregation bought it in 1902. Recognized as a center for cantorial music, the synagogue was known as "the Cantor's Carnegie Hall." It's been a synagogue ever since, though no longer primarily Romanian. Led by Rabbi Jacob Spiegel and offering daily services, the

9 June 1996, New York (NY) Times, "Rabbi Sees Hope for His Dwindling Congregation" by Andrew Jacobs, pg. CY6:
Cantors' Carnegie Hall
The First Roumanian-American Congregation had many illustrious choir members, cantors and congregants. Among them:

George Burns...congregant
Red Buttons...choir
Eddie Cantor...choir
Israel Cooper...cantor
Moishe Koussevitsky...cantor
Moishe Oysher...cantor
Jan Peerce...cantor
Richard Tucker...cantor

24 January 2006, New York (NY) Times, "Downtown Congregation Vows to Repair Roof or Build Anew" by Thomas J. Lueck:
A day after its roof collapsed into a sanctuary long renowned as the Cantors' Carnegie Hall, members of a Lower East Side synagogue vowed yesterday to repair their badly damaged, 150-year-old building, or else build anew in the same spot.

The First Roumanian-American Congregation, at 89-93 Rivington Street, remained off limits even to congregants yesterday as city inspectors warned of instability in one of its walls. Nine residents of an adjacent apartment building at 87 Rivington Street, including two children, were being temporarily housed in hotels because of the threat of further deterioration.

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