Hey Blake, what's the story behind the gargoyle scaling the building at Jackson Ave. and Annunciation St?
Hey Blake,
Near the corner of Jackson Avenue and Annunciation Street is a large brown building with a gargoyle that appears to be a demon scaling the side. Is there a story behind this?
Chris
Dear Chris,
The building was constructed in 1867 for the congregation of Sha'arai Tefillah, which translates into "gates of prayer," but the architect did not include the gargoyle.
The old synagogue at 709 Jackson Ave. was sold in 2004, and the new owners installed new glass in the windows. Fearing vandals would see the windows as ideal targets, the owners took out a little insurance. Since gargoyles are said to scare off and protect from evil and harmful spirits, it seemed like a good idea to display one on the building. So they found a fiberglass gargoyle in a shop on Magazine Street and attached it to the building. They had to put it on the side instead of out front because of restrictions placed on them by a preservation group. It seems the gargoyle did its duty and kept window-smashers away.
The building is up for sale again. I wonder if the gargoyle will stay.
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