Home Buying

For $379,000, a condo in a former Worcester synagogue

The unit has two bedrooms, two baths, and historic murals.

Both bedrooms have high ceilings. [email protected]

November 5, 2022

It’s not that rare to find a condo in a former church these days, but in a onetime synagogue? That’s a different story.

Unit 8 at 32 Providence St. is a two-bed, 2.5-bath condo located in a Classical Revival structure formerly known as Shaarai Torah Synagogue. Measuring 1,497 square feet, the condo is a real fusion of history and modern amenities. In the kitchen, you’ll find murals overhead and one of the original pews, both of which are included in the sale. A historic telephone is also located on the kitchen wall by the entry.

“Those murals are original to the building, and they are landscapes of the surrounding Worcester area,” said Jay Beausoleil of Redfin Corp., who has the listing. “There’s one over the kitchen and one over the living room.”

A two-story brick building with quoining and a flat room and two sets of stairs that meet at a landing. — . – [email protected]

A kitchen with a mural above it and wood flooring and cabinetry. — . – [email protected]

An open layout with white walls and wood flooring and walls of art. — . – [email protected]

Continue into the spacious living room, where there are towering ceilings estimated to reach about 20 feet high. Upstairs are two bedrooms, with massive arched windows stretching from floor to ceiling. The bedroom ceilings are also high, and the spaces have exposed-brick walls.

A mural above an archway in an open layout with exposed brick and several windows. — . – [email protected]

A view of pews before the staircase and a kitchen island. — . – [email protected]

The unit comes with private storage in the basement and two deeded parking spaces. There’s also a fenced-in grassy area on one side of the building.

Built in 1904 to meet the religious needs of the growing population of Jews from Eastern Europe in Worcester, the building remains a reminder of a time when there were at least eight synagogues on the city’s east side, according to historic documents. The population dropped in later decades, as Worcester’s Jewish population headed to the suburbs, and a highway was constructed through the area.