| First Unitarian Church of San Jose | |
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View of the front of the church, facing southeast.
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| Location: | 160 N. Third Street San Jose, California, USA |
| Coordinates: | |
| Built: | 1892 |
| Governing body: | First Unitarian Church of San Jose |
| California Historical Landmark | |
| Reference #: | 902 |
The First Unitarian Church of San Jose is located at 160 North Third Street in downtown San Jose, California, across from St. James Park, and was designed in "Richardsonian Romanesque" style by architect George Page, who also designed the Hayes Mansion[1]. Local historian Linda Larson Boston called the building, “One of a handful of American churches patterned after Unitarian churches of Transylvania, it features a large triple-arched stained glass window on the facade, multiple domes and cupolas, and both round and square towers,” in her pamphlet, Highlights of San Jose, California’s St. James Park and Environs. The congregation purchased the site in 1888, and the cornerstone was laid in a ceremony on September 23, 1891. The building is registered as Number 902 on the list of California Historical Landmarks[2].
The church is a member of The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) and "People Acting in Community Together"[3].
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On October 16, 1995, the church was gutted by a six-alarm fire that occurred during a major renovation project[4]. For three years the congregation met at the community center across the street until the sanctuary was ready for services in 1998. Final restoration and renovation of the building cost $8 million, with work and fundraising continuing until 2001. One notable fundraiser featured actor Dustin Hoffman, who spent several months in 1996 filming Mad City at the San Jose Athletic Club next door[5].
As part of the renovation project, the church added classrooms and office space in its basement so that it could establish the Third Street Community Center[6] in 1998. The center is a separate, non-sectarian non-profit that houses the Don Edwards Computer Learning Academy, an after-school program, and ESL classes serving low-income and immigrant neighbors[7].