e ssential landmark
Gates of Heaven Synagogue by Jeanne Engle
As we approach the holiday giving season, homage should be paid to those whose generosity 50 years ago was instrumental in saving the Gates of Heaven Synagogue, which is now located at 302 E. Gorham Street in the James Madison Park near downtown Madison. The synagogue, Madison’s oldest and most likely the nation’s second oldest, was constructed in 1863 by Madison’s Jewish community as a place of worship. Gates of Heaven was listed in 1970 on the National Register of Historic Places, and the following year it was designated a Madison landmark. Samuel Klauber emigrated from Bohemia (today’s Czech Republic) and moved to Lake Mills in 1848, where he earned a living as an itinerant peddler. He carried a pack on his back from which he sold buttons, needles, trimmings, and other items to farm wives in the area. In 1851, upon being the first Jew to move to Madison, Klauber opened a clothing store that he operated until 1879. Klauber was among 17 Jewish families that formed the congregation of Ahavath Achim (Brother Love) in 1856. The name was later changed to Shaare Shomayim (Gates of Heaven). Initially, services were conducted in Klauber’s 34 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
home, but in 1862, the congregation purchased a lot on West Washington Avenue. Prominent Madison architect August Kutzbock, who also designed Wisconsin’s second capitol, was hired to design the synagogue. The builders were German immigrants. According to the National Register nomination, the style of the synagogue reflects “a degree of Victorian eclecticism, with German and Gothic influences in a style identified by [late] New York Times architectural writer Ada Louise Huxtable as ‘Rundbogenstil,’” German for round-arched style. Rundbogenstil is represented in all the windows of the synagogue. The Gates of Heaven exterior features an ornate upper wall above the roof similar to what would be found on a medieval castle. A triangular façade capped with stone rises above the gable of the front vestibule. In the center of the triangle, a large, circular, stoneframed opening once contained a decorative wheel window. The façade of the vestibule also rises as a triangle capped with stone. Sandstone and white brick were used in the synagogue’s construction. The sandstone was quarried from behind the 3400 block of today’s University
Avenue and was hauled during the winter over the ice and snow on sleds. The joists were huge oak beams that still hold strong to this day. The cost of the building was $4,000. The dedication of the Gates of Heaven synagogue took place on September 4, 1863, with many dignitaries in attendance. Klauber opened the doors for a two-by-two procession of the congregation’s members into the building. A Milwaukee rabbi gave the sermon and spoke on his hope for the growth of a liberal Jewish faith in free America. A dinner for 75 concluded the day’s activities. In 1865, the Wisconsin Legislature met in the synagogue for a public memorial to mourn the death of Abraham Lincoln. The congregation had difficulty finding a rabbi, and its numbers dwindled over the years. Finally, in 1879, those that remained gave up and rented the building to the Unitarian Society. Subsequent tenants in the synagogue included a school, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the First Church of Christ Scientist, and the English Lutheran Church. In 1916, the building was sold for $7,000 to Arthur and George Gill, who conducted their undertaking business there until 1930.
