From a selection of seventeen entrants, St. Petersburg architect Yakov Gevirts submitted the winning design; construction began in 1909 and was completed in 1913 at a cost of 150,000 Soviet rubles.

Edward Khodos created an organization to represent the members of Reform Judaism and asserted control of the synagogue.

In 1993, Khodos operated on the synagogue's second floor, where according to reports he conducted his antiques business and set up a Friday night kick-boxing club for local children.

[8] The competition jury wrote of Gevirtz's designs:[1] The entire structure is a serene and beautifully accomplished mass, which is not without poetical interest.

Unlike the other buildings on the block, it is set back from the street to conform with local laws requiring a certain distance from churches and other houses of worship.

[14] Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes has attended a Purim celebration[15] and the wedding of Rabbi Moskowitz's daughter[16] in the synagogue.