Ahavas Shalom Reform Temple


Ahavas Shalom Reform Temple is a historic synagogue building located in Ligonier, Noble County, Indiana at 503 Main Street. It was built in 1889, and is a one-story, red brick building with Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival style design elements. It has a Greek cross plan and is topped by a steep cross-gabled roof. It features an entrance tower topped by a steep pyramidal roof. In 1954, the building was sold to a Methodist congregation and now houses the Ligonier Historical Museum.
It is one of the few surviving 19th-century synagogues in the United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is located in the Ligonier Historic District.
The building was put up for sale by the council in 2015.

History

Jews arrived in Ligonier in the 1850s, establishing a cemetery in 1865. Rabbi Isaac Meyer Wise attended the dedication of the synagogue building in 1889. The Jacob Straus House, home of a congregant, is also open to visitors. It is located at 210 South Main Street.

Ligonier Historical Museum

The Ligonier Historical Museum was housed in Ahavas Shalom Reform Temple building.