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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000057

Oldest Building in Alabama Originally Built as a Synagogue

Record holder

Former Kahl Montgomery SynagoguePlace

Record value

Built in 1862

Country: United StatesAchievement location: Montgomery, Alabama, United StatesAchievement date: 1862Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Former Kahl Montgomery synagogue building, now Catoma Street Church of Christ, Montgomery, Alabama

The surviving 1862 former Kahl Montgomery synagogue building in Montgomery, Alabama, photographed 13 July 2016.DXR / Daniel Vorndran / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 4.0

Official record definition

The first building within Alabama documented to have been purpose-designed and constructed specifically as a synagogue or Jewish house of worship. Pre-existing non-Jewish buildings later rented or acquired for Jewish worship are excluded. Later changes of use do not alter the permanent historical FIRST.

Measurement methodology

Historical chronology of purpose-built synagogue construction in Alabama using institutional and architectural sources.

Measurement point: first purpose-built synagogue building

Record story

The oldest building in Alabama originally built as a synagogue is the former Kahl Montgomery Synagogue in Montgomery, Alabama. This record is for the first building within the state documented to have been purpose-designed and constructed specifically as a Jewish house of worship, with the achievement date noted as 1862. Commissioned by the Kahl Montgomery congregation, the structure was dedicated that year and served its community until 1902. The Alabama Historical Association and the Alabama Department of Archives and History have both identified the surviving building as having been constructed as a synagogue in 1862.

Architectural and institutional sources confirm the building's survival and its status as the state's first purpose-built synagogue. Research found no earlier qualifying structures, noting that earlier Jewish worship spaces in Alabama were established in pre-existing buildings not originally constructed as synagogues. After its use by the Jewish community ended, the building became a Christian church and is now known as the Catoma Street Church of Christ. This later change does not alter its historical significance as Alabama's first purpose-built synagogue.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
2 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Alabama Historical Association marker and Alabama Department of Archives and History identify the surviving Catoma Street building as constructed as a synagogue for Kahl Montgomery in 1862. Architectural and Jewish-history sources independently confirm that the structure survives.

Superiority evidence

State counter-search found no earlier qualifying purpose-built synagogue in Alabama. Earlier Mobile Jewish worship spaces were pre-existing non-Jewish buildings rather than purpose-built synagogues; later surviving Alabama synagogue buildings postdate 1862.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Montgomery Jewish Community Encyclopedia — Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Kahl Montgomery / Catoma Street historical marker — Alabama Historical Association / HMdb
  • Kahl Montgomery / Catoma Street photograph record — Alabama Department of Archives and History
  • Marker to commemorate Alabama’s first synagogue building — Southern Jewish Life

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Kahl Montgomery / Catoma Street Church — SAH Archipedia

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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