LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Congregation Sons of Abraham in the city of La Crosse (La Crosse County) on the State Register of Historic Places. Designed in the Modern Movement style, the synagogue was constructed in 1948.
The Congregation Sons of Abraham is a tall, one-story building nestled in a residential community east of downtown La Crosse. Described as modernistic at its completion in 1948, the synagogue stands today as an outstanding example of the Modern Movement. The building features a rectangular plan, flat-roofed cubic massing, broad expanses of brick walls with little fenestration and minimal ornamentation. The symmetrical façade features a pronounced main entrance with a projecting portico defining a pair of pedestrian doors. The portico is flanked by a recessed wall punctuated by a central band of ribbon windows. The interior retains its original configuration, doors and features. It was constructed as the first modern religious building in the city by the oldest active Jewish congregation.
The Congregation Sons of Abraham is the only extant synagogue in La Crosse, as well as one of the last synagogues in western Wisconsin. The character-defining elements of the interior set it apart from Christian houses of worship in the city and make it a good example of a well-defined synagogue property type. They traditionally encompasses worship, learning and social gathering spaces for congregants including the sanctuary with its ark, bimah, eternal light, seating, classroom space and a social hall.
The synagogue stands today as an intact and rare regional example of the Modern Movement of architecture and a distinctive property type.
Additional information for Congregation Sons of Abraham is available here.
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About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.
