First Unitarian Church of Oakland

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First Unitarian Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
View of the front of the church, facing southwest.
Location:	685 14th Street Oakland, California, USA
Coordinates:	37°48′23″N 122°16′36″W / 37.80639, -122.27667Coordinates: 37°48′23″N 122°16′36″W / 37.80639, -122.27667
Built/Founded:	1891
Added to NRHP:	June 16, 1977
Governing body:	First Unitarian Church of Oakland

The First Unitarian Church of Oakland, in Oakland, California, was designed in 1889 by Walter J. Mathews. This solid masonry Romanesque church departed radically from California's traditional Gothic wood frame construction. Noted for its world-famous stained glass windows produced by Goodhue of Boston, and for arching redwood spans, the widest at that time west of the Rockies, the church remains a significant cultural and architectural landmark.

The building site was purchased in November 1888 from Jane K. Sather, a patron of the University of California. Construction began in 1890 and was completed in September of 1891, although it began to be used for various activities while still unfinished. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake damaged the building, but did not destroy it.

The church is listed as California Historical Landmark #896, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-77000284).

[edit] References

Alameda. California Historical Landmarks. Office of Historical Preservation. Retrieved on 2005-09-08.
First Unitarian Church (data pages). Historic American Buildings Survey. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2006-09-28.