Temple Aaron in Trinidad, one of the oldest synagogues in the Southwest, was named a National Historic Landmark this week by the Interior Department.
The 134-year-old synagogue was put up for sale in 2016 as the members of its Jewish congregation dwindled and the building fell into disrepair. But after news media stories about Temple Aaron’s demise, the synagogue received an influx of funding to bring it back from the brink.
The “for sale” sign in front of the temple was removed, a nonprofit board was created to protect the building and religious programming restarted.
“After coming within a whisker of being sold and falling out of our people’s hands forever, there is now renewed hope for Temple Aaron to continue to serve as a monument to the Jewish history of the Rocky Mountain region,” a post about the temple’s website says.
Temple Aaron was built in 1889 along the Santa Fe trail and played an important role in Jews’ pioneering role in the Southwest. The congregation organized even earlier, in 1883.
The Jewish community in Trinidad shrunk dramatically after the Great Depression, but Temple Aaron remained and the congregation, albeit much smaller, continued. One of its congregants was Dr. Stanley Biber, a gender transition surgeon who became synonymous with Trinidad.
“We’ve been working on (the designation) for years,” said Ron Rubin, whose family managed the temple for decades. He’s now on the nonprofit board that oversees the congregation.
Rubin said the next step will be securing funding to replace Temple Aaron’s roof, which is original to the building.
“We hope that we can start raising a lot of money for the temple,” he said.
Neal Paul, president of the Temple Aaron board of directors, said in a written statement that the board is thrilled.
“(We) are excited to work with our growing community of supporters to build on the rich historic legacy of the founders and families who established the congregation nearly 140 years ago,” he said.
There are 28 National Historic Landmarks in Colorado, including Red Rocks, Denver Civic Center, Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder and Bent’s Old Fort near La Junta.
Wink’s Panorama in Gilpin County, which served as a mountain oasis for Black travelers from 1925-1965, was also named a National Historic Landmark this week.
There are about 2,600 National Historic Landmarks across the U.S. The status helps preserve historic sites by opening them up to federal funding.
The Interior Department on Wednesday also named Glenwood Caverns and Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs a National Natural Landmark.