Formerly known as the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington (JHSGW), the organization adopted a new name in 2018 as it prepared for the opening of its new museum facility.

[6][7][8] Plans call for the Capital Jewish Museum to be a $34 million, 25,000-square-foot (2,300-square-meter) facility located in the Judiciary Square and Capitol Crossing neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C.[6][9] According to the organization, the new four-story building at 3rd and F Streets NW will include three floors of exhibit and programming space.

[6][14] The original 1876 building was sold to Stephen Gatti, an Italian-American fruit dealer and real estate investor who lived a block away.

During the course of the next 60 years, the former synagogue's first floor was divided into retail spaces and housed a bicycle shop, barber, Joseph Funger's grocery store, Anthony Litteri's delicatessen, and other businesses.

Starting in 2016, the development of the Capitol Crossing project required the building to move again, as the District of Columbia government sold the land on which it sat.

First, the structure was first moved about 50 feet to a temporary location on Third Street NW, to await the construction of a parking garage that would serve as its permanent base.