On December 2 the Eldridge Street Project celebrated the completion of the restoration of the 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The day also marked a new chapter in the history of the Eldridge Street Project, which is now Museum at Eldridge Street.

This year marks the National Historic Landmark’s 120th anniversary, highlighting the Eldridge Street Synagogue’s significance as the first great house of worship built by East European Jews in America.

The Museum at Eldridge Street will feature new exhibition spaces, guided tours of the magnificent main sanctuary and women’s balcony, and cultural and educational programs celebrating more than a century of Jewish life in America.

New exhibit and programming areas include:

Explore first-generation Americans and investigate your families’ journey to America at the Gural-Rabinowitz Family History Center. The Center features interpretive and interactive media, artifacts, photographs, library resources and oral history training for both school children and adults.

Experience turn-of-the-century Lower East Side through two new interactive kiosks in the Limud Discovery Center. The center uses digital technology and displays of artifacts to provide visitors with an understanding of neighborhood history and synagogue design and practice.

Overlooking the exquisite main sanctuary, the Lise and Jeffrey Wilks Gallery hosts rotating exhibits and site-specific art installations. The Gallery’s inaugural exhibit, Glorious Again!, tells the story of the landmark restoration through text, photographs, artifacts and video interviews with artisans.