(Trinidad, CO) — Temple Aaron of Trinidad, Colorado, the oldest continuously operating synagogue in its original location in the Rocky Mountain West, has been awarded a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant and a Staenberg Anything Grant™ from JEWISHcolorado for phase I of its “Raise the Roof” campaign to replace its original 135-year-old roof. History Colorado awarded a $237,714 grant from the State Historical Fund for the project, which will be matched with $79,238 in Temple Aaron funds. The funding will also replace gutters and downspouts and complete cornice repairs and masonry restoration on the building, recently designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL). The Staenberg Anything Grant™ and JEWISHcolorado award will supplement these efforts and be used as a match to the State Historical Fund grant.
Neal Paul, President of Temple Aaron remarked, “We are excited to begin work on this milestone project that will help to preserve the building and ensure Jewish continuity in the community and region now and in the future. We are deeply grateful for the support received from these organizations and all our supporters in helping to make this project possible.”
Additional funding for the project was provided through individual donors participating in the inaugural Jewish Colorado Giving Day that recently concluded. JEWISHcolorado convenes, connects, invests, and protects Jewish life in Colorado, Israel and around the world.
Temple Aaron was established as a congregation in 1883 in Trinidad by pioneering German Jewish merchants who played a prominent role in the development of the community. In 1889, the temple hired the architectural firm of Bulger & Rapp and noted architect Isaac Hamilton Rapp, to design the building in the Exotic Moorish Revival style. The building features a pressed metal patterned roof, minarets, and an onion dome and conical tower and retains much historical integrity. In December 2023, Temple Aaron was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in recognition of this architectural and community legacy. Board member Kim Grant remarked, “These grants represent a major investment in the preservation of this one-of-a-kind National Historic Landmark. We are grateful to our partners with History Colorado, the National Park Service, Colorado Preservation, Inc. (CPI), Staenberg Foundation Anything Grants and JEWISHcolorado for helping make this transformational project possible.”
With its deep roots in the past, Temple Aaron is dedicated to serving the region for generations to come. For information about the project and programs at Temple Aaron, please see templeaaron.org.
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INFORMATION:
Email: info@templeaaron.org or call Sherry Glickman at 720.383.2124.
Information is available online at www.templeaaron.org and https://www.facebook.com/temple.aaron.trinidad/