Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, California
| Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, California | |
|---|---|
 Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, California | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Carpenter Gothic |
| Town or city |
300 East Santa Inez Avenue San Mateo, California |
| Country | United States |
| Construction started | 1905 |
| Completed | unknown |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | wood frame |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | unknown |
Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo is a Unitarian Universalist congregation located in San Mateo, California. Founded in 1952, the congregation is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association. In the 1960s it purchased an historic Carpenter Gothic style-building located at 300 East Santa Inez Avenue that previously had been a Methodist church. It features the steep gabled roofs, lancet windows and a corner belfry which are typical of the Carpenter Gothic style. Its tower features abat-sons originally intended for acoustics.[1][2] The building is currently listed for sale as part of a possible program for the congregation to move to a larger facility.[3]
History
In the spring of 1952, a group of about thirty-five people, most of whom were young parents, met with some Unitarians and Universalists from other peninsula congregations in the home of James Rene and Marian Hemingway. Alfred Wolff Klaber was elected as president. The meeting ended with the formation of the Unitarian Fellowship of San Mateo, which was voted into membership of the American Unitarian Association in April 1952.
Private homes, a local labor hall, a Jewish temple, and the Les Williams Dance Studio were some of the congregation's early places of assembly. In 1954 a small house was purchased from the dance studio and became the "Fellowship House." In 1959 the congregation rented a large auditorium at the Peninsula YMCA. The adults met at the YMCA, and religious education classes for the children were held at the Fellowship House, a few blocks away.
In 1969 the Fellowship rented property of the disbanding First Methodist Church, located at 300 E. Santa Inez in San Mateo. Those facilities were purchased on June 17, 1971. The building had been constructed in 1905 and needed extensive repairs. A parsonage had been built in 1928. Religious education rooms were built in 1963.
Clergy:
- Rev. Ben Meyers, 2013–present
- Rev. Alicia Forsey, transition minister, 2012 to 2013
- Rev. Denise Tracy, transition minister, 2011 to 2012
- Rev. Vail Weller, 2003–2011
- Rev. Bob Kaufmann, interim minister, 2002–2003
- Rev. Joy Atkinson, 1988–2002
- Rev. Daniel Panger, 1984–1988
- Rev. Bernie Krueger, 1978–1983
- Rev. Robert Fraser, 1970–1976
- Rev. Bob Botley, 1961–1969
- Rev. Russell Lincoln, 1958–1961