Originally commissioned as the Unity Synagogue by the Congregation Peni-el of 525 West 147th Street and Congregation Mount Zion of 37 West 119th Street upon their merger, the building constructed at 130 West 79th became better known as the Mount Neboh Synagogue when managed by a subsequent congregation. Designed by architect Walter S. Schneider and constructed in 1927-28, a period in which the Jewish community on the Upper West Side was growing quickly, the cast-stone façade featured Byzantine, Moorish, and Gothic Revival influences. It was considered a successful design in both its architectural expression and its response to a difficult mid-block site, and it was described as one of the important synagogue buildings on the Upper West Side, a symbol of the contributions of the Jewish community to that area in the twentieth century.¹ Due to the stock market crash a year after the building’s completion, the original congregation found itself in financial difficulties and the property was eventually foreclosed upon and sold at auction in 1930. Purchased by the Mount Neboh Congregation and rededicated in October 1930, the synagogue flourished until the 1970s, when financial problems developed due to an aging, dwindling membership. In 1979 the building was sold to the Corporation of the Seventh-day Adventists, which in turn sold it in 1981 to real estate developer Alexander Edelman.² Although the synagogue was designated an individual New York City Landmark in 1982 in response to the efforts of the Committee to Save Mount Neboh, Edelman filed for a financial hardship exception. This hardship exception was granted in 1984 by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Edelman was allowed to demolish the Mount Neboh Synagogue building, replacing it with The Austin, a 19-story apartment building.

Designated in 1982; Designation rescinded in 1985. Demolished, replaced by The Austin apartment building.

1981: Purchased by real estate developer Alexander Edelman with intent to build an apartment building in its place

February 9, 1982: Designated as a New York City Landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

February 8, 1983: Landmarks Preservation Commission granted permission to raze the structure after determining that landmark designation of the building had created a financial hardship

1984: Demolition occurs

January 8, 1985: Landmark designation rescinded by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

In March 1981 the Mount Neboh Synagogue was purchased for $2.4 million by real estate developer Alexander Edelman, who had plans to construct a 17-story apartment building that would be the same height as neighboring buildings and follow the area’s zoning regulations. This plan was met with resistance from a newly-formed local advocacy group, the Committee to Save Mount Neboh. This group, which consisted mainly of nearby residents, urged the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to designate the building for its architectural and cultural merit.³ Despite some concern from within the LPC regarding its architectural significance and reuse plans, the synagogue was designated on February 8, 1982, primarily for its unusual blend of stylistic influences and its representation of the Jewish community’s role in the Upper West Side. Edelman remained against the designation throughout this process.

Soon after the building’s designation Edelman filed a hardship claim, taking advantage of the hardship clause of the New York City Landmarks Law that allows owners to appeal a designation by proving that the designation prevents them from earning a six percent return on their investment.⁴ By the time of their claim Edelman had reportedly incurred $1million in interest on interim financing and increased construction costs.⁵ After a public hearing on May 27, 1982, and subsequent deliberation, the LPC accepted the owner’s claim in July 1982, concluding that the building's landmark designation had caused Edelman a financial hardship. This ruling merely acknowledged, however, that the building could not yield a reasonable return, the LPC maintained the fact that it had not rescinded the building’s landmark status. The counsel to the landmarks panel at the time, Dorothy Marie Miner, stressed this, saying, ''There was no finding today or at any other time that this wasn't a significant building. It will be, until the end, a designated landmark.''

The Committee to Save Mount Neboh continued to argue against the building’s demolition, advocating for its reuse for other purposes such as a holocaust memorial or international art center. Using its designation status, the Committee obtained injunctions and court orders from the New York State Supreme Court and New York State Court of Appeals, which prevented demolition for almost a year. The LPC held a public hearing on November 9, 1982, on proposed preliminary alternative plans to render the building capable of earning a reasonable return. At a public executive session on January 19, 1983, the Commission voted to modify slightly and submit to the applicant a set of final proposed plans to render the building capable of earning a reasonable return. After the applicant rejected all such plans, the Commission, at its executive session on February 8, 1983, voted unanimously to issue a Notice to Proceed (with demolition). Having been delayed by litigation, the Notice to Proceed was issued on May 13, 1983. During this period the owner faced foreclosure and other economic hardships, but eventually demolition of the synagogue began in 1984 and the site was vacant by November 27, 1984.⁶ On January 8, 1985, the building’s landmark designation was officially rescinded by the LPC because nothing of architectural or historical significance remained on the Landmark Site of the former Mt. Neboh Synagogue.

Dunlap, David. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan’s Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. 151

Glazer, Nathan. Lilla, Mark. The Public Face of Architecture: Civic Culture and Public Spaces. New York: Free Press, 1987. 434-437

Neighborhood Preservation Center. Designation Report by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. 232 East 11^th Street, New York City 10003

Temple of Religion records [Choral Correspondence Box. No. 9(i)]. Manuscripts and Archives Division. The New York Public Library. Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788. Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328. http://archives.nypl.org/mss/2962#c1079299