Bush Street Temple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bush Street Temple |
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The former synagogue building, in 2019
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation |
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| Ecclesiastical or organisational status |
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| Ownership | Japanese American Religious Federation |
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| Location | |
| Location | 1881 Bush Street, San Francisco, California |
| Country | United States |
 Location in San Francisco
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| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Moses J. Lyon |
| Architectural type | Synagogue architecture |
| Architectural style |
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| Date established | 1864 (as a congregation) |
| Completed | 1895 |
| Materials | Redwood |
The Bush Street Temple is a special building in San Francisco, California. It has been many things over the years. First, it was a synagogue for a Jewish community. Later, it became a Buddhist temple.
This building has also served as a Baptist church. Since 2003, it has been a home for older people. For some time, from 1936 to 1994, the San Francisco Go Club also used parts of the building. The Bush Street Temple was finished in 1895. It became a San Francisco Designated Landmark on April 18, 1976. This means it's an important historical place.
Contents
Building's Unique Design
The Bush Street Temple was designed by an architect named Moses J. Lyon. It was completed in 1895. The building mixes two cool styles: Moorish Revival and Venetian Gothic Revival.
You can see arches on the front that look like those on the famous Doge's Palace in Venice, Italy. The building was updated in 2003 and connected to a new building next to it.
Materials and Features
This unique building is mostly made of redwood. When it was first built, much of the inside was painted to look like marble. This painting style is called trompe-l'œil, which means "deceive the eye."
The building used to have two fancy towers. Sadly, these towers are no longer there.
A Building with Many Lives
The Bush Street Temple has a long and interesting history. It has changed hands and purposes many times.
From Synagogue to Temple
The building started as a synagogue for a group called Congregation Ohabai Shalome. This name means "Lovers of Peace" in Hebrew. This Jewish community formed in 1864. They wanted to keep their traditions, unlike another synagogue in San Francisco. People often called it the Bush Street Synagogue.
Over time, fewer people joined the congregation. So, in November 1934, they sold the building. It was bought by the Soto Zen Mission of the Sokoji Buddhist Church.
A Home for Go Players
The San Francisco Go Club was the first overseas branch of Japan's Nihon Ki-in. In 1937, the club moved into the left side of the Bush Street Temple. They stayed there for a long time, even when the rest of the building was empty. The club finally moved out around 1994 due to new building plans.
The Buddhist Temple Years
During World War II, many Japanese Americans were sent to special camps. This included the owners and members of the Soto Zen Mission of the Sokoji Buddhist Church. Even while they were away, they kept paying for the building.
During this time, a different church used the building. It was the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, whose members were mostly African-Americans. After the war, the Zen Mission got their building back.
In 1959, a special teacher named Shunryu Suzuki Roshi came to Sokoji. He started teaching zazen, a type of meditation. This was new and soon attracted many Western students. The San Francisco Zen Center was created by these Western students. They shared the building with the Sokoji community through the 1960s. This building became a very important place for spreading Zen Buddhism in the United States.
In 1969, the Zen Center needed more space and moved to a new location. The Sokoji community also moved in 1972. After that, the building was empty and started to fall apart. The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency took ownership of it.
New Purpose for the Temple
In the late 1980s, some people tried to turn the building into a Jewish Cultural Center, but it didn't work out. In 1996, the building was given to the Japanese American Religious Federation.
Finally, the building was given to Kokoro Assisted Living. This is a home for senior citizens, many of whom are from the Japanese-American community. Kokoro opened its doors in 2003, giving the historic Bush Street Temple a new and caring purpose.
See also
- Buddhism in the United States
- List of San Francisco Designated Landmarks
