Central Business District in Cincinnati in Hamilton County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise and the Plum Street Temple

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

1. Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise and the Plum Street Temple Marker

Inscription.
This historic synagogue symbolizes the work of one of the most important figures in nineteenth-century American Jewry, Isaac Mayer Wise (1819-1900). The Bohemian-born rabbi's many achievements include the establishment of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873, Hebrew Union College in 1875, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1889. Wise's leadership made Cincinnati a center for Reform Judaism in America. The Plum Street Temple, designed by Cincinnati architect James Keys Wilson and built in 1865-1866 for the B'nai Yeshurun congregation during Wise's tenure, is one of the best-preserved Moorish Revival buildings in the United States. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1975.

Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 41-31.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Man-Made Features • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the National Historic Landmarks, the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection, and the Synagogues series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.

Location. 39° 6.232′ N, 84° 31.113′ W. Marker is in Cincinnati

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, Ohio, in Hamilton County. It is in the Central Business District. It is at the intersection of Plum Street (U.S. 27/42) and 8th Street, on the left when traveling south on Plum Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 720 Plum Street, Cincinnati OH 45202, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and in the Ohio River Valley.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: International Typographical Union (within shouting distance of this marker); Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains (within shouting distance of this marker); Covenant - First Presbyterian Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cincinnati Bell Telephone Building (about 400 feet away); William Henry Harrison (about 500 feet away); George Washington Williams (about 800 feet away); Herzog Studio (1945-1955) / Hank Williams at Herzog (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cincinnati Gymnasium and Athletic Club (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cincinnati.

Also see . . . Isaac M. Wise Temple History. Temple website entry (Submitted on November 4, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Plum Street Temple National Historic Landmark Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

2. Plum Street Temple National Historic Landmark Marker

Plum Street Temple Cornerstone Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

3. Plum Street Temple Cornerstone Marker

Plum Street Temple of Isaac M. Wise Temple Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

4. Plum Street Temple of Isaac M. Wise Temple Marker

Plum Street Temple image. Click for more information.

via NPS, unknown

5. Plum Street Temple

NPGallery Digital Asset Management System website entry
Click for more information.

Plum Street Temple and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

6. Plum Street Temple and Marker

Plum Street Temple Entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

7. Plum Street Temple Entrance

Plum Street Temple image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

8. Plum Street Temple

Plum Street Temple Doors image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 31, 2009

9. Plum Street Temple Doors

Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise and the Plum Street Temple Marker, at left from Plum and Eighth Streets image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, May 16, 2011

10. Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise and the Plum Street Temple Marker, at left from Plum and Eighth Streets

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,755 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 4, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 5. submitted on May 26, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on November 4, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 10. submitted on May 30, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.