In 1902, the First Roumanian-American congregation/Congregation Shaarey Shamoyim purchased the Rivington Street building from the Church Extension and Missionary Society[REF] to satisfy a need for a larger building to serve the Lower East Side's rapidly growing Romanian-Jewish population [REF].
The congregation commissioned Charles E. Reid for extensive renovations,[REF] at a cost of $6,000 (today $) [REF].