Yeckes Family Chapel
The First Jewish Chapel in Palm Beach County
Learn More About The History Of Yeckes Family Chapel:
The historic Yeckes Family Chapel was built in 1926 and found its new home in 2012 on the campus of Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach.
The word “family” is at the core of the Yeckes Family Chapel of Temple Beth El. In 2021, Yeckes Family Chapel was designated a historic property as the original site of West Palm Beach’s first synagogue founded in 2012, Temple Beth Israel. In 2015, the historic Yeckes Family Chapel was dedicated to the three generations of the Yeckes family who supported the restoration: architect Steve Yeckes who designed the renovations to the historic Byzantine Revival building and attended Beth El for over 40 years, his son who is in construction and did the renovation, and his mother Joyce who belonged to Temple Beth El.
The dedication for the historic Yeckes Family Chapel that was restored and moved to the Temple Beth El campus at 2815 N. Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach was on January 22, 2015.
The original synagogue building was located at 2020 Broward Avenue, near Currie Park. After a series of different uses, it was targeted to be torn down and the land used to build condos.
Over time, Beth El’s chapel deteriorated and suffered damage from hurricanes Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma. Eventually, the congregation raised money to purchase the historic building and move it to the Beth El campus. The Chapel’s new features include a new roof and drywall and the exterior white plaster has been covered in beige stucco. The cypress ceiling and the floor of hardy Dade County pine date back to the original 2012 construction.
Yeckes Family Chapel is home to many celebrations and services for the Beth El community.