This former residence was designed in 1890 by Frank H. Smith for the John Dwight family. Following the lead of McKim, Mead & White, Smith employed the neo-Renaissance style of architecture recently introduced to the neighborhood by this prominent firm; the entrance is especially noteworthy. Dwight was the baking soda baron whose famous "Arm & Hammer" brand continues to enjoy popularity today. A sanatorium for many years after the Dwights left, the mansion was acquired by the Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation which converted it into a synagogue in 1962. The Commandment Keepers are members of a centuries-old Jewish tradition which maintains that Africans are descendants of the one of the lost tribes of Israel.

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