7.8 Fredericksburg, Virginia
Beth Sholom Temple, 515 Charlotte Street
Architect unknown, 1940
Osborn Studio, Pensacola, Florida, publisher; no date
This postcard of Beth Sholom (House of Peace) Temple in Fredericksburg, Virginia, has a homemade quality to it and a modesty consistent with the history of the congregation.
Founded in 1936, Beth Sholom began to hold services and programs in this unpretentious brick synagogue in 1940. The rectangular gable-front building was inspired by simple colonial models, including 18th-century Anglican churches, which have remained popular in Virginia more than in any other state in the South and were particularly common during a period of revival between the world wars. The main feature of the facade is a small stairway leading to a modest wooden projecting entrance porch surmounted by a smaller gable, which echoes the roof of the main structure. A Jewish star set in a circle adorns the gable. That is the only Jewish identifier originally on the structure; later, a sign was installed to the left of the entrance. Round-arched multi-paned windows filled with colored glass flank the entrance on either side.
In 1978, the Marlowe Education Wing was added to house the educational program, and later, the rabbi’s and temple offices.
A new temple complex was completed in 2001 in the England Run area of Stafford County, Virginia.