Plum Street Temple

I'd like to see proof of a more beautiful building anywhere in Cincinnati. To tell you the truth, I may never have been in a more beautiful building anywhere.





I've been aching to visit the Plum Street Temple ever since Dan and I visited City Hall. Unfortunately, the temple only gives tours on Thursday mornings, when your typical nine-to-fivers are already at work. So! Dan and I took a vacation day to visit the Moorish-Byzantine style temple-- absolutely worth the trip.

Our tour guide was a somewhat crotchety older gentleman who is both a member of the congregation and part of the group that planned the massive renovations that the temple underwent in the mid-90s. He was very well versed in all the changes Plum Street Temple has been through, as he's been involved since the 80s.

Take the tour of Plum Street Temple and hear a detailed and beautiful story about Isaac M. Wise, the most gorgeous building in the city, and the beginning of Reform Judaism. From Wikipedia:

During his lifetime Wise was regarded as the most prominent Reform Jew of his time in the United States. His genius for organization was of a very high order; and he was masterful, rich in resources, and possessed of an inflexible will. More than of any of his contemporaries, it may be said of him that he left the imprint of his personality upon the development of Reform Judaism in the United States.

Plum Street Temple: http://www.wisetemple.org/?page=buildings