We’ve been keeping an eye on the demolition of the old Young Israel building on East Broadway. In January, workers were just beginning to remove the contents of the 1837-erea building. Since that time, the project has been going very slowly. Today LES resident and preservation activist Linda Jones sent along this photo, and noted that work crews started earlier than usual this morning and seem to be making quite a bit of headway.
Young Israel sold 225 East Broadway to a developer, who planned a new condo project. In exchange, the synagogue received several million dollars and a promise of a new sanctuary, a gym and classrooms as part of the new building. But after the economic collapse, plans for the site were apparently put on hold. We have called an emailed the synagogue for more information, but there hasn’t been any response.