A historic piece of south Dallas was destroyed in a blaze last week.
A building formerly used as a synagogue for the Tiferet Israel Congregation was destroyed in a fire.
Damage was so extensive, the remainder of the structure was demolished.
Dallas Fire-Rescue told The Dallas Express that it had responded to reports of a fire in a two-story vacant building at 2312 Al Lipscomb Way at 1:30 p.m. on August 7. The structure had sustained damage from a previous fire.
Upon arrival, crews noted “heavy smoke and fire” coming from the roof of the building, Jason Evans, public information officer for Dallas Fire-Rescue, said.
Given that the building was empty at the time, fought the fire “defensively,” he added.
“There is no documented time for when the fire was declared extinguished, but afterward, the resulting damage was so extensive that heavy equipment was requested, for safety reasons, to demolish the remnants,” Evans said in an email to The Dallas Express.
The building was originally constructed in 1937 and had served as the synagogue for the Tiferet Israel Congregation, according to Dallas Morning News (DMN). The church had constructed a new synagogue, leaving this building in the 1950s.
Local people had reported that they had seen homeless people entering the structure on occasion, Evans said, but the building was empty at the time of the fire.
“Due to there being no witnesses to the beginning stages of the fire, and the severity of damage preventing entry for investigators, the cause of the fire will be listed as undetermined,” Evans said.
Jessica Adams, archivist for the Dallas Jewish Historical Society, told DMN that the structure was one of three synagogues built in South Dallas in the 1930s and that this was the structure was the last that still stood.
“The tragedy is very real,” said Adams, according to DMN. “It’s very devastating from a historical perspective and from a community standpoint.”
