Jewish Community CenterAddress: 81 Church Street
Old Address: 13 Church Street
Other names: Dr. Washington Oakley House
Year built: Before 1895 (Sanborn Maps)
The Jewish Community Center was dedicated c. 1934, and the ceremonies were attended by then New York State Governor Herbert Lehman.
Past Presidents of the Jewish Center were Irving Altman, William Meyer and Howard Hoffman.
It was bought by a born again Christian group in 1979 for $30,000. Later, it became The Studio, an arts center for children.
Danny Kaye's Brother, Larry Kaye would attend services.
Variety, April 30, 1930
Congress of Headliners Marks Morris' Benefit
Benefit performance at Carnegie Hall Sunday evening brought out an impressive aggregation of headliners which played a long bill to an audience that nearly filled the big house. Event was for the Jewish Community Center and Social Service Fund of Saranac Lake, which in the pet hobby of William Morris, who promoted and carried through the entertainment.
Novel features included the first local appearance of Mitzi Green, child film player and daughter of Joe Keno and Rosie Green, who did a remarkable song and dance turn before Paul Ash and the Paramount stage band. Youngsters' imitation of Moran of Moran and Mack singing a ballad was a riot.
There were three masters of ceremony starting with Solly Ward and finishing with Bugs Baer, with Lester Allen presiding midway through the evening.
Horace Heidt and his band without their Instruments but working an male singing group, opened the proceedings, not forgetting the dog which had teen taught new tricks during their foreign travel. Arnaut Bros. made one of their rare appearances without the white face makeup and clown garb.
Harry Lauder sang a sentimental ballad without a trace of accent, which left the audience a bit stunned. Joe Smith and Charley Dale did "Dr. Kronkhelt." their old sketch and paniked [sic] this mob of insiders, and so did Jack Pearl with the old crossfire of tangled speech.
Others were Ben Blue, Kalroff, Maurice Schwartz, the Yiddish actor, Borah Minevitch, Jans and Whalen and Helen Morgan. Show ran to midnight.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, June 12, 1984
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, April 6, 1979
Christian group buys Jewish center
SARANAC LAKE — A born-again Christian group has purchased the Jewish Community Center here for $30,000.
The Church Street building will be called North Country Christian's Center and regular Sunday services will begin Easter, the group's pastor, Ira Eugene Stanley, said yesterday.
The 28-member group has pooled its money to buy the building, he said. The building is expected to be used six nights a week, with events such as Bible study, prayer meetings and revivals.
Stanley, who said he ended a 21-year Air Force Career to be a full-time minister, said the agreement with the Jewish Community Center is virtually sealed except for the transfer of the building's title. The group has started renovating the building's interior and Stanley said Christian center will also be repainted outside.
The Pentecostal group started in January 1978 as a Bible Study group with four people and grew in late June to a larger group met at members' homes each week and formed a church.
"We are born-again Christians—people who have dedicated, our life to serving the Lord," Stanley said.
The Jewish community used the' building only a few "days a year, during the religious high holy days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The center was founded by a group of Jews which included William Morris Sr. in the 1920's.
