The Kiever Synagogue 1927
This synagogue was designed by Jewish architect Benjamin Swartz for a small congregation of Orthodox Jewish immigrants who had fled oppression in Kiever Gubernia, a Russian province in the Ukraine. The congregation, formally named The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev, began meeting in 1912 in "The Ward" east of University Avenue. By 1917 its synagogue, relocated to a house on this site, had become a social, religious, and educational centre for its members. This building was constructed ten years later. Its architecture blends Romanesque and Byzantine styles, and features twin domed towers crowned by the Star of David. According to tradition, its intimate sanctuary faces east towards Jerusalem, and doors for men and women lead to separate seating within. Restored since the 1980s, the Kiever is now one of a few historic synagogues still in this area long after this neighbourhood ceased to be the centre of Toronto's Jewish community.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.