15. Bialystoker Synagogue:Â 7-11 Willett Street/Bialystoker Place, Lower East Side
On the Lower East Side sits Bialystoker Synagogue, which dates back to 1826 (making it the oldest synagogue building still in use in New York City). Originally housing the Willett Street Methodist Episcopal Church, the synagogue purchased the building in 1905). The Federal-style building was constructed out of Manhattan schist, and the synagogue gets its name from its Torah Ark, which was likely carved in the Polish city of Bialystok.
When the building first opened, it is believed that it was used as a rest stop for the New York Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves were believed to have found safety in the building’s attic on their route north. The attic is today accessed behind a camouflaged door by the corner of the women’s gallery. The synagogue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.