Temple Emanuel is Colorado’s second oldest synagogue. Completed in September of 1900, shortly after the arrival of the new century, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the Temple families are descendants of immigrants from Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Russia who originally establed the congregation. Although the Jewish community of Pueblo is only about 30 families, the congregation is active and the Temple was completely renovated in the 1990s.Temple Emanuel is located in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Pueblo, an area rich in Victorian architecture. The Temple itself is a fine example of the Queen Anne style, which is perhaps the most varied and richly decorated genre of the Victorian era. The arch gracing the front entrance is typical of the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed major buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one of the recognized trinity of American architecture. There have been no exterior alterations to the building since its completion more than 100 years ago.

When the building was first completed it was referred to as The little Jewel Box in the Pueblo newspaper, characterizing the feelings of the Pueblo community towards the small but exquisite building. The Pueblo Chieftain reported that the opera chairs and stained, leaded glass windows in Temple Emanuel were the first in a house of worship in Pueblo. The vaulted ceiling, decorative molding, wooden theater seats, brass lighting fixtures and surrounding stained glass windows enhance the expansive theater style space dedicated to the area of worship.