Location: 802 Jefferson St. SE
Religious communities, Diversity: Jewish heritage, Popular culture
Temple Beth Hatfiloh, 1985, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation |
K Records today (2013) photo by Deb Ross |
Jewish families began arriving in Olympia in 1853 or earlier, and have continued to play important roles in all aspects of Thurston County and Olympia life. Temple Beth Hatfiloh was established in 1937, and a building was erected the following year. It is located in an area that included many other religious communities, to the east and south of downtown. A number of the families who founded the temple are still active in the temple and in Olympia.
In another example of the “musical pews” game played by Olympia’s religious communities (see listing for Gloria Dei), the temple outgrew its small building and moved to the Christian Science Building nearby in 2004. The building is a rare example of a religious building being converted to a secular use. It was for a time the home of K Records, an iconic company that was one of the incubators of the Grunge sound (see also Olympia Knitting Mills ).
According to historian Bernice Sapp, this site was once the home of Selucius Garfielde, once territorial delegate to Congress.
Links:
Kilgannon, Temple Beth Hatfiloh is 75!
Washington State Historical Society (enter the following catalog numbers in Collections Search box), C1986.43.61.1.26.1.28
For more information on Selucius Garfielde, see the Residents section of this website
Copyright © 2022 Deborah Ross