Charter Oak Temple

The building now known as Charter Oak Temple was designed by architect George Keller for Congregation Beth Israel in 1876. The Temple had been founded by German Jews, who had become increasingly prosperous during the nineteenth century. Previously the worshippers had met in a former church building. The congregants now wanted a building that demonstrated both their own traditions and their assimilation into American life. As Jewish population in Hartford began to move westward, the congregation sold the building to Calvary Temple and relocated. The current Beth Israel was built on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford and dedicated in 1936.

The Charter Oak structure was used as the Calvary Temple’s place of worship until 1974 when the Hartford Redevelopment Authority purchased the building. During the 1980s group of local preservationists formed the Charter Oak Temple Restoration Association (COTRA). COTRA considered a number of purposes for the building and finally agreed upon a cultural center that would both honor the buildings Jewish heritage and provide programs of interest to the culturally diverse local community.