HARTFORD, Conn. — With concerns from the Frog Hollow community about the fate of a historic chapel in the neighborhood, the property's owners have shared their plans for the former burial preparation building.
The Deborah Chapel in Hartford was named one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places for 2022 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) this month, which raised concerns from the community to preserve the history it holds.
The Deborah Chapel garnered national attention after the Hartford Preservation Alliance listed the chapel on its own endangered historic building list earlier this year, according to the alliance's Executive Director Mary Falvey.
Word spread through local advocates and Jewish Arts and Monuments blogger Samuel Gruber. A staff member at the NTHP then found Gruber's post, alerting them to the Deborah Chapel, according to Falvey.
RELATED: Hartford chapel facing demolition placed on most endangered historic places in America list
Congregation Beth Israel has owned the building for centuries. The building sits in the Beth Israel Cemetery, which remains active. The cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery in the Zion Hill Cemetery, according to Frog Hollow neighbor and member of Hartford's Historic Preservation Commission Carey Shea.
As a resident in the neighborhood, Shea founded the Friends of Zion Hill Cemetery group during the COVID-19 pandemic. They voluntarily tend and care for the city-owned cemetery, which is adjacent to Beth Israel's.
It's one of the few Jewish-purpose buildings from that era in the state, according to Shea, calling it a "special building."
The Deborah Chapel was used by a Jewish women's auxiliary group in the mid-1800s, preparing bodies for burial. Many of the group members were Jewish immigrants from Germany.
Congregation Beth Israel applied for permission to demolish the building back in 2018, according to Falvey. The city denied the request, and the congregation filed a lawsuit in response.
The 2019 lawsuit claimed the building's contribution "to the architectural and historic character of the district" is not sufficient enough reason to deny their request, saying that the building was not registered on a state or national list of historic places at the time.
The judge in February 2022 sided with Beth Israel, and that ruling was appealed a month later. It is now being discussed in Appellate Court.
State and Hartford leaders gathered in Frog Hollow on Wednesday, May 4, to call for action to save the Deborah Chapel, saying it holds historic significance to the community.
Beth Israel sent a statement to FOX61 on May 6, saying that the preparations for burial are now required to be performed at funeral homes. The original deed says the property must only be used for burial purposes, according to the synagogue. They said that restoring the property for another use would not be allowed under the current deed.
"Neither the City of Hartford nor its Historic Preservation Commission has authority to remove the deed restriction," Beth Israel said in a statement to FOX61.
However, a change to the deed could still be made on the city level, according to both Falvey and Shea. A proposal would have to be made to the City Council, and if approved, the mayor could sign it, Shea said. FOX61 reached out to Hartford's Corporation Counsel, the city's attorneys, for comment numerous times and has not heard back.
The synagogue also cites deterioration, saying the chapel has been vacant for decades and has become a hazard. In terms of restoration, Beth Israel said they ran the numbers, and it would take between $500,000 and $1 million to potentially save the building.
Shea said multiple offers have been made to buy the building from Beth Israel, including her own proposal to take ownership, and she said the congregation rejected all of those offers.
The synagogue has plans for the property if demolition is approved.
"With limited space, the synagogue hopes to remove this hazard and create a temporary memorial garden so that when the need for more graves arrives the congregation will be able to meet the needs of its members," Beth Israel Congregation said.
Falvey has seen buildings "in worse, worse shape," and the chapel would just need rehabilitation. She also noted that the building would have been condemned by now if there was something seriously wrong with the building.
Shea has also heard that the building is structurally sound. Nothing a renovation can't fix, she said.
If the building is ultimately saved, Shea would love to see it restored to be a caretaker cottage once again.
"That would be tremendous, that's what it was built for, that's what it was used for," Shea said.
At the advocate's press conference earlier this month, there were also suggestions of turning it into a community center or into a museum.
The timeline of the synagogue's project is not clear.
Leah Myers is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at lmyers@fox61.com
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