Angel Orensanz Center

On our lists of the best live music venues and activities in New York.

German architect Alexander Saeltzer built this Gothic Revival synagogue on Norfolk Street in 1849, modeling it on Cologne Cathedral, with a sanctuary meant to echo the Sistine Chapel and a 50-foot ceiling that was originally deep blue and dotted with gold stars. Congregations kept using the building until 1974, after which it sat vandalized and empty for over a decade. Sculptor Angel Orensanz bought and restored it in 1986, and the space has since hosted Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's wedding, an MTV Unplugged taping with Florence and the Machine, and the photo shoot for Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang album cover, alongside its regular concerts, weddings, and community events.