While there were Jewish families in St. Catharines from before the start of the last century, person-to-person contacts were always made in the homes of the various residents. Census data estimates that there were never that many people to overwhelm what had to have been small homes. As I write this, I am imagining what it must have been like by thinking of the number of shivas that were held in the homes of deceased members and were often very well attended. Some how, it was always enough.
However, during the First World War, in 1917 to be exact, it became obvious that some sort of permanent structure was required and it was the premature loss of one of the prominent citizens of the community, Isaac Friedman, who bequeathed the congregation the proceeds of the sale of his house to purchase a building for the congregation. That building sat on the corner of Church and Calvin Streets, at the same corner as our current structure stands. In order to purchase that particular property, Jacob Cooperman, one of the earliest and most successful residents, had to approach a non-Jewish friend to buy the land for the congregation because the owner at the time would not sell to a Jew. Once that was accomplished the house was then resold to the congregation. This house was likely the Klock House depicted in earlier mapping and consisted of a 1.5-storey residence with ornate woodwork on the porch and beneath the gable. This house served the community for just a brief time as the house soon became too small to accommodate the congregation.
It was not too long before it became obvious that even that house would not comfortably accommodate the number of families that were residing here by 1920 and attending services. It was decided to build a new structure. The house was picked up and moved back on the lot, which is where the picture above shows it above. Its position on the street was also changed around. That was accomplished in 1923. The congregation approached a local architectural firm, Nicholson & MacBeth, to design the new place of worship and the ground was broken at formal ceremony the last week of August, 1924. The picture below shows Ralph Jacob Hoffman and his wife Eva with Abraham Newman behind them and the families around the cornerstone. The synagogue was built by the local contractors, Newman Brothers.
Fewer than 35 families were on their way to reveal their new home to the world.