The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-12-08
The Temple Emanuel.

rather quaint and uncommon edifice, of Moor
ish Saracenic pattern, and modelled perhaps
more closely upon the Alhambric style than any
building Of like purpose existing in this city, has
been for some time in process of construction at
the corner of Fifth avenue and Forty third street.
upper corner, west side of the avenue. This
building, which is Of unusual and commanding
proportions, is TO be dedicated to the Jewish wor-
ship under the auspices Of the congregation Of
I,manule, and win be called Beth Emanuel, or the
Temple OF Goj-with-us.n The temple, which
will be completed probably in the course Of
the year 1865, has frontage on
Fifth avenue of eighty feet. Of which some
twelve feet is devoted to the main entrance
surmounted with the crescent en- Nas1esque, or
rather spanned with that peculiar curve which
romantic Arabs pretend to have borrowed from
the contour Of the new moon. The extreme
height Of the building, exclusive OF minarets and
pinnacles. or oriental turreta, will be ninety feet
from foundation to ridge. To this height must be
added the height OF the pinnacles Of the tower in
front, which will not vary materially from fifteen
feet. These pinnacles or small towers are COM
posed OF exceedingly slender columns, in clusters
and of the purest Moorish order, species Of
column not varying materially ip general effect
from the Romantic" The middle Of the front,
which has oil the kinks Of fantasy common to the
Moorish, terminates at the apex or ridge
with . box, cornered by clusters Of columns
so as to form tower of considerable
dimensions. aud square. The roof, after
the manner of the middle Gothic, 10 moderately
slopng, the sides being divided, as Ia often the
in Gothic, which is Of near kin to the Orien.
tai by jag, into two stories, making the building
a trfe narrower on tho second story than ON the
first. This of course, necessitates the division Of
| the windows into two tiers. These are essentially
Moorish, with clustered columns, quaint capitals.
which, though some what shorter than the ordinary
Romantic capital, carved after the usual man.
ner Of that style, often strange and wandering in
ensemble Is Hndco pagoda or palace Of lsps-
han. In fact, the Romantic Is too essentially de-
riyative from the Oriental idea not TO afford data
for accurate comparison in describing the Oriental
itself and especially the Persian, Moorish and pure
| Saracenic phases Of it, The windows, to
tue description, are tall and Gothically narrow.
and will be OF course paned with painted glass 7;
and the general anatomy OF the building ID slender
as that Of the latter Gothic, which had more orna.
ment than solidity, upon which 10 hang ornamental
devices.
The extreme length Of the ediAce Is one hundred
and eighty feet. making an area at the base OF
fourteen thousand aud four hundred square feet
an area larger than that occupied by any syna-
gogue in the city, few sacred cdices OF any kind
exceeding il in this respect. The sides are orna
mented with involved columns OF Moorish pattern,
insinuations OF columnar protection and nothing
more than that. The height Of the ceiling. which
will be suspended from crescent arcs upheld by tall
saracenic columns, viii be seventy feet above the
door Of the nave. making tho columns which up
hold IL about sixty feet from base to capital. The
minarsts Of them Of exceeding height. Nor
IL this appcndage. as many suppose, necessary 10
the Moorish having been first used or cngrafted
upon the style az an innovation by Alwaled the
First. The building in question belongs 10 NJ La.
bord's second period Of the saraccnc. which pre-.
vailed in the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth
centures--the first period from the rise Of Islam.
ism 70 the ninth century, rejecting The mlnarst,
and the third. terminating with the expulsion Of
Il 10 MaAo tam a..
4 cadence Of that style, upon which not little Of
| the Gothicism OF feeling which psrvaded the
i Middle Ages vas based.
| The rose window appears upon the Fifth avenue
i front, though the device IL not 30 deliberately
/ wrought as 10 generally the case In Gothic
| trsceres, q cetefu, being more sparingly used;
and, on the whole, the weird, erratc. morbid aspi.
ration Of Gothic feeling ~ well reproduced, and
| without exaggerstion or caricature, into which
| the modern hankering for the MEDIEVAL in
| effect Is apt TO degenerate. The minarets-
| for minarets must be mentioned in the Moorish :
are hardly lofty enough for the dimensions OF the
building, being both too small and toe sparingly
used: and the general idea OF the edce has little
| Hebrewism about IL. In fact, tho main principle
Of effect Ia ancient Jewish orname ntafion was
that Of color, carving. gliding and embroidcry-a
| principle which prevailed IN the building OF Solo
1 mons Temple, Was Afterwards reproduced in the
second temple, with. its gates Of gold aud
4 Corinthan brass, and resembled in the proper.
tons Of its columns the pagodas Of Elephants. OF
| this thirst for gorgeousness of cooring and gliding
there are no traces in the temple At the corner Of
Fifth avenue. The material Of the building il the
| tea colored granite Of New Brunswick, a material
exceedingly plastic tor purposes o. carving and
ornamentation and from present indications no
| external gliding 10 20 be used.
The interior IL likely 70 be very magnificent
ample space being afforded for the stmost scope
Of art. The ceiling will be panelled after the
manner Of the Gothic. and, being upheld by clus.
tering columns. there viii be little difference be
tween - and the nsual Gothic interior. These col
unns fern aysak s9stAisina We Agsx VI W. Assb