Congregation Emanu-El Temple (1863)

1461 Blanshard Street, Victoria, British Columbia

2015 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award (Adaptive Reuse/Rehabilitation)

Temple Emanuel, Victoria BC - oldest synagogue in Canada, est. 1864

As the oldest surviving synagogue in Canada, Congregation Emanu-El holds inestimable heritage value. It was built in 1863 by a congregation comprised of settlers drawn from the Fraser River Gold Rush. Declared a National Historic Site in 1979, the congregation undertook the conservation of the rare Romanesque-style synagogue in 2010. The project encompassed a major rehabilitation of the building’s structure and envelope to address structural deficiencies caused by earlier alterations; restoration and rehabilitation of the wood sash windows to increase the thermal performance; installation of an advanced fire detection system; and repairs to the masonry.

Owner: Congregation Emanu-El
Architects: Donald Luxton & Associates