Watch: See The Aftermath Of The Lower East Side Synagogue Fire

LOWER EAST SIDE – The historic Beth Hamedrash Hagadol synagogue on the Lower East Side was destroyed in a fire that spewed black smoke into the sky above lower Manhattan Sunday, the FDNY said.

The building at 60 Norfolk Street was originally built in 1850 as a Baptist Church. It became the home of New York City's first Eastern European Jewish congregation in 1885, but has been abandoned since 2007.

See the aftermath of the fire, which started shortly after 7 p.m. and burned for five hours, here.

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Additional reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen

Lead photo by Ciara McCarthy.