Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
A 1908 synagogue building in Washington, D.C. that was reimagined in 2004 as a nonmembership Jewish congregation and cultural venue blending religious services with concerts, comedy and talks.
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- Established
- 1908
- Location
- Washington, D.C., United States
- Country
- United States
- Original congregation
- Adas Israel Congregationstated by the subject
- Architecture
- Moorish, Romanesque and Byzantine Revival, with three domes
- 2004 rededication
- Restored and reopened as a nonmembership synagogue and cultural center
- Annual attendance
- About 80,000 visitors a year across religious and cultural programming
Overview
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue is a 1908 synagogue building in Washington, D.C. that was restored and reimagined in 2004 as a nonmembership Jewish congregation and cultural venue, blending religious services with concerts, comedy and public talks.
Construction and early history
Adas Israel Congregation purchased the corner lot at 6th and I Streets NW in 1905 and began construction the following year; the sanctuary, built in a mix of Moorish, Romanesque and Byzantine Revival styles with three domes, was dedicated on 6 January 1908 (Sixth & I). This early history is independently corroborated by an account in a Times of Israel blog post (The Times of Israel).
From church to cultural venue
After Adas Israel relocated to upper Northwest Washington in 1945, Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church purchased the building in 1951 and used it for more than fifty years. When the building went up for sale in 2002, three local developers bought it within 24 hours to prevent its loss, and a restoration culminated in an April 2004 rededication as Sixth & I, a nonmembership synagogue and cultural center (Sixth & I; The Times of Israel).
Programming and attendance
Sixth & I draws about 80,000 visitors a year across a program that mixes Jewish religious services with stand-up comedy, concerts, book talks and podcast recordings; its High Holy Days services sell out above 3,000 people, and roughly 10,000 people attend Sabbath services annually. Its ticketed, nonmembership model has drawn speakers including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elizabeth Warren and Caitlyn Jenner, and other synagogue leaders have said they loosened their own programming because of Sixth & I’s influence, according to a 2018 syndicated newspaper feature (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette).
What this profile does not claim
This profile relies on the venue’s own account for construction-era detail, corroborated independently for the broad historical arc, and on a syndicated newspaper feature for attendance and programming facts. It does not repeat the longer list of past speakers and performers that circulates on other reference sites, since that list is largely uncited there; it states only the names confirmed in the syndicated feature read in full. Construction cost and purchase-price figures are noted as the venue’s own first-party claims and are not independently corroborated here.
Timeline
- 1906
- Adas Israel Congregation begins construction on the 6th and I Streets NW site.
- 1908-01-06
- The sanctuary is dedicated; The Washington Post is reported to have ranked it "with the best church edifices in the city."
- 1951
- After Adas Israel relocates, Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church purchases the building, using it for more than fifty years.
- 2002
- Three local developers purchase the building within 24 hours of its listing for sale, to prevent its loss.
- 2004-04-22
- The restored building is rededicated as Sixth & I, a nonmembership synagogue and cultural venue.
- 2018
- Independent press reports the venue drawing about 80,000 visitors a year, with High Holy Days services selling out above 3,000 people and roughly 10,000 attending Sabbath services annually, alongside a cultural program that has included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elizabeth Warren and Caitlyn Jenner as speakers.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- This profile does not independently verify the full list of notable speakers and performers who have appeared at the venue, beyond the names (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elizabeth Warren, Caitlyn Jenner) confirmed in the syndicated feature read in full; a longer list circulates on Wikipedia but is largely uncited there and is not repeated here.
- The exact construction cost and purchase price figures given in the venue's own history page are first-party claims and are not independently corroborated in this profile.
Sources
3 sources (1 tier 2, 1 tier 3, 1 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.
Founding and construction history is drawn from the venue's own history page and corroborated in an independent Times of Israel blog piece. Attendance figures, the nonmembership programming model, and named past speakers are drawn from a syndicated newspaper feature (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, carrying an Associated Press-style report) read in full; the Wikipedia article on this subject was not used as a source, since its own list of past speakers and performers is substantially uncited.
- Synagogue uses culture, comedy to fill seats Supports: Annual attendance figures, the nonmembership ticketed programming model, and named past speakers including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elizabeth Warren and Caitlyn Jenner.
- A Synagogue Reimagined as a Cultural Hub: Sixth & I, Washington DC Supports: Independent corroboration of the building's 1906-1908 construction history, its mid-century use by Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church, and its 2004 reopening as a dual-purpose religious and cultural venue.
- History Supports: Founding by Adas Israel Congregation, construction dates, the building's architecture, its use by Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church, and the 2002-2004 purchase and rededication.
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