[1]: 13  The imposing Romanesque Revival building was inspired by the Imperial Cathedrals of Mainz, Speyer, and Worms, all located in the Rhine region, like Strasbourg.

[1]: 21 The synagogue was built in pink and grey Vosges sandstone from the Phalsbourg quarries and crowned with a 54 m (177 ft) dome,[1]: 24  which rivalled the neighbouring Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune Catholic Church.

[1]: 26  The main prayer room was equipped with a pipe organ made by Walcker Orgelbau, which was replaced in 1925 by an instrument by Edmond Alexandre Roethinger [de].

The destruction by arson was the work of a group of Hitler Youths from Baden and Alsace and occurred during the night of 30 September/ 1 October 1940; a first deliberate fire had already been lit on 12 September.

[1]: 80–81  In 2012, the perimeter of the memorial was expanded again to include a newly created Allée des Justes-parmi-les-Nations dedicated to the Righteous Among the Nations.