The Vilna Shul was built in 1919 by Jews from Vilna, in what is now Lithuania. It is the last intact example of over fifty synagogues that once flourished in Boston. Located on Phillips Street, on the north slope of Beacon Hill, this extraordinary building is modeled after medieval European synagogue.

Yet it evokes the elegant simplicity of a colonial New England meeting house two-story, synthesizing the old world with the new. Distinctive features of the brick building are the second floor L-shaped sanctuary providing separate seating for men and women in keeping with Orthodox tradition, and three skylights flooding the sanctuary with natural light and imparting a spiritual quality to the space.

The congregation was made up of men and women of modest means whose pride, persistence, and hard work helped make their families' hopes and dreams become reality. Inside the Shul members gathered to express their Jewish faith and traditions. They joined in prayer, provided a helping hand to those in need, and comforted the lonely. It was a place that provided continuity to their lives as they coped with a new world and new ways.

Over the years, the Vilna Shul became victim to changing demographics. The congregation dwindled to a single member and stopped conducting services in 1985.

The Vilna Center for Jewish Heritage, Inc. was incorporated in December 1990 to acquire the Vilna Shul and to restore it as Boston's historic Jewish cultural center. In January 1995, the Vilna Center acquired the building.