Overview

The Montefiore Cemetery and Chapel reflect the city's early German Jewish community.

• Location: 4153 3rd Avenue South
• Neighborhood: Bryant

Historic profile

The Montefiore Cemetery and Chapel reflect the city's early German Jewish community.

The population and physical size of Minneapolis grew throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a result, the city's religious institutions also grew. A Jewish cemetery in Saint Paul called Mount Zion was established in 1856. The Montefiore Burial Association formed in 1876 to establish one in Minneapolis. It was the city's first Jewish organization. Their organized leadership formed several other Jewish institutions in the city. They built the city's first synagogue, Shaarai Tov, in 1878. They also founded the B'nai Brith lodge and the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society.

Two acres of land on 42nd Street East and 3rd Avenue South were purchased for the cemetery in 1876. All Jews in the community were permitted to use the cemetery. It was not affiliated with a specific congregation.

The chapel was built in 1890 in the southwest corner of the cemetery. It was designed by Septimus J. Bowler. The small one-story building is Richardsonian Romanesque in style. This was a very popular style in the city at the time. It has red brick and brown stone walls. There is a prominent arched porte cochere on the north end. The chapel has a gabled roof with rounded stained glass windows and a two-story tower with a metal dome top. Bowler designed several religious and residential buildings in the city. Notably, he also designed the First Church of Christ Scientist and the Mikro Kodesh Synagogue.

The cemetery acquired two additional acres north of the site in 1935. The chapel evolved into a cultural center for Shaarai Tov. The Association merged with Shaarai Tov in 1952 to form Temple Israel Cemetery.