Founded in 1861, the current synagogue building was designed by Dirk Lohan and completed in 1996, inclusive of stained-glass windows by British artist Brian Clarke.

[1] During the nineteenth century, the congregation helped pioneer and promote the controversial ritual reform of the Sunday Sabbath (substituting Saturday for Sunday) for Jewish communities in America.

[2][3] In the late nineteenth century, the congregation became the site of speculation concerning the possibility of a woman rabbi in the United States.

In 1897, Hannah G. Solomon of Chicago was touted in the press as America's first woman rabbi following her preaching at the congregation.

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