Masonic society using Hebrew year on old Building in Hartford?

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I found this building in downtown Hartford, a few blocks away from my work.

Any ideas what this was? Why did this society decide to use the Jewish year? (תרנ"ד - 1894) What was the significance?


Here's the whole building


At some later point, it must've become the Law Tribune building.


Comments

  1. AviJuly 7, 2014 at 8:55 AM

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  2. Talia bat PessiJuly 10, 2014 at 11:11 AM

    Are you sure the Masons put the year on it, and it wasn't originally a shul or some other Jewish institution like a YM/WHA? There's a movie theater near NYU (on 2nd Avenue around 10th Street) that has a Hebrew year on the cornerstone, I've always assumed it used to be a shul.

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  3. efrexJuly 14, 2014 at 11:30 AM

    Talia: It was never a shul, as far as I know. It was a Yiddish theater back in the day (1920s-30s), one of maybe a dozen or more that lined 2nd avenue between Houston & 14th street.

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