St. James' Episcopal Church (South Pasadena, California)

St. James' Episcopal Church
St. James Episcopal Church in 2022
St. James' Episcopal Church is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
St. James' Episcopal Church
St. James' Episcopal Church
Location within Los Angeles County
St. James' Episcopal Church is located in California
St. James' Episcopal Church
St. James' Episcopal Church
St. James' Episcopal Church (California)
St. James' Episcopal Church is located in the United States
St. James' Episcopal Church
St. James' Episcopal Church
St. James' Episcopal Church (the United States)
34°06′42″N 118°09′13″W / 34.1116991°N 118.153701°W / 34.1116991; -118.153701
Location1325 Monterey Road,
South Pasadena, California[1]
CountryUnited States
Language(s)English
DenominationEpiscopal
TraditionHigh Church Anglicanism
ChurchmanshipProgressive
Websitewww.sjcsp.org
History
StatusChurch
DedicatedMay 19, 1907 (1907-05-19)
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Bertram Goodhue of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson[2]
Style
Years built1907[1]
Administration
ProvinceProvince VIII
DioceseEpiscopal Diocese of Los Angeles
Clergy
RectorVacant
Priest in chargeRev. Dr. Michelle Baker-Wright
Assistant priest(s)Rev. Gethin Wied
Honorary priest(s)Canon Anne Tumilty
Laity
Organist(s)Jason Klein-Mendoza
TreasurerKomal Tolani
Youth ministry coordinatorLucy Yates
Music group(s)Sarah Gonzalez, Music director
Parish administratorSara Jane Thies
SacristanJames Holguin

St. James' Episcopal Church is a parish of the Episcopal Church in South Pasadena, California, and part of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

History

The church began informally in 1890 as St. Andrews Mission, with support from All Saints Episcopal Church in nearby Pasadena.[2] In 1905, a temporary structure was built on the corner of Monterey Road and Fremont Avenue, where the current church would be later built.[2]

Building

The historic church was designed by chief architect Bertram Goodhue[2] of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson in a mix of Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival architectural styles.[3] The church is #33 on South Pasadena's list of historic landmarks.[2] The stained glass windows were made by Judson Studios.[2][4]

In 1919, a $3,000 (equivalent to $53,000 in 2023) addition was started, which included a stage and dressing rooms.[5] The chimes were donated to the building by aviator Pancho Barnes,[6] who, on January 5, 1921, had married Rev. C. Rankin Barnes at the church.[6]

The tower was damaged in the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake.[7] When the tower was repaired and retrofitted to meet earthquake protection standards,[2] the chapel's pillars were narrowed, which had been obstructing views of the front of the church from rear pews.[7]

Notable events

The church was the site of the 1929 wedding of actress Bessie Love to William Hawks, attended by such celebrities as Ronald Colman and William Powell, mobbed by a crowd of 25,000, and documented in Cecil Beaton's Diaries.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Chapter V: Historic Preservation Element" (PDF). City of South Pasadena General Plan. p. V-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Our History". St. James' Episcopal Church.
  3. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). p. 39.
  4. ^ "Judson Stained Glass Studios began 88 years ago in LA" (PDF). Highland Park News-Herald. March 3, 1984.
  5. ^ "Los Angeles". The Living Church. Vol. 62, no. 9. December 27, 1919. p. 283.
  6. ^ a b Spark, Nick (12 August 2015). "Chimes for St. James Episcopal Church". The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club.
  7. ^ a b Tansey, Ben (May 22, 2019). "A Rich Tapestry of Historical Churches: SPPF 'Architecture of Faith'". South Pasadenan.
  8. ^ Beaton, Cecil (1961). "America 1929–1931". Diaries: 1922–1939, The Wandering Years. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. LCCN 62-8059.
  9. ^ "L.A.'s Big Show: Marriage of Bessie Love", Variety, vol. 97, no. 12, p. 6, January 1, 1930