Kabbalah Centre International (New York City, New York) | temple, Neoclassical (architecture), judaism, religious center, 1881_construction

 temple, Neoclassical (architecture), judaism, religious center, 1881_construction

5-story Neo-Classical religious center completed in 1881 as an apartment building. It was purchased and converted to a religious center in 1994. The Kabbalah Centre is a non-profit organization that makes the principles of Kabbalah understandable and relevant to everyday life. The Centre was founded by Rav Yehuda Ashlag in 1922 and now spans the globe with brick-and-mortar locations in more than 40 cities as well as an extensive online presence.

The building is clad in white limestone blocks, with a tall main entrance near the west end, extending up into the 2nd floor, where it is topped by an entablature and cornice. The glass double-doors are deeply recessed, and a brown metal canopy extends out over the sidewalk, with white lettering reading "THE KABALLAH CENTRE" on all three sides. To the left is a set of grey metal double-doors with an Art-Deco geometric pattern. To the right are four windows with brown canvas awnings. A stone cornice caps the ground floor on either side of the main entrance, with Art-Deco wall sconces running below the cornice.

The 2nd floor has four taller, narrow windows (with transoms on top); below each window is a panel covered with a geometric pattern of projecting metal bars in black and brown. A single bay to the left of the upper part of the main entrance has a slightly-recessed blind marking where a matching window would be (there is no actual openings). The 2nd floor is capped by a modillioned stone cornice.

The upper floors have three bays of paired narrow windows, and a blind western bay, matching each window bay in height. The 4th floor windows are shorter, and the 5th floor has triple-windows instead of paired single-windows, but all the windows have matching decorative metal patterned panels at their bases. The facade is topped by a modillioned stone cornice.

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