Twin towers topped with golden onion domes mark the Temple of Israel at the corner of Fourth and Market Streets in Wilmington. Built in 1876 and dedicated here on May 12, 1876, this building is the oldest synagogue in North Carolina and one of the earliest Reform congregations in the American South. You can feel layers of community history under your feet: Sephardic Jews first arrived in North Carolina in the early 18th century, a Jewish Burial Society formed in 1852, and a Hebrew cemetery opened in 1855.
An Orthodox congregation tried in 1867 but did not succeed; a Reform congregation of German Jews began in 1872 and brought this synagogue to life. Look at the design: Samuel Sloan combined Greek Revival and Moorish Revival styles, a pairing that gives the city a unique Moorish presence. Note the horseshoe arches and the twin towers topped with golden onion domes, details common to many late 19th-century American synagogues yet rare here.
The exterior you see was carefully restored in 1982, 2000, and again in 2013, and the building contributes to the Wilmington Historic District. Picture those horseshoe arches and the twin towers crowned with golden onion domes.