A Lost Legacy: Downtown's Historic Churches

I'd like to hear about the church on grand between 8th and 9th, there also is temple looking building on spring between 8th and 7th on the east side of the street that is home to a little swap meet. it would also be cool to see and hear about the many churches that have been removed and replaced with new buildings i.e church of the open door now Ca. bank and trust building. cool idea!

We still have churches; they're just old theatres =)

There were a few cool churches I've seen in photographs, like the one with the round rotunda at 6th and Hill, where the International Jewelry Center is now, and there was also one where Luma is now.

Here you go.

1) Check out the recent conversion of the Olympic Auditorium (sic?) to a Korean megachurch. Nifty new paint job.

2) There is Immaculate Conception over on 9th Street west of the the 110 before Union. I got married here.

3) There is also La Placita Church at Olvera Street. This place is always packed on Sunday. My kids were all baptised here.

4) There's an old Methodist Church at Olvera Street, too. Sorta run-down the one time I visited.

5) There's a Catholic Church of a Japanese bent in the Art's District. It appears there's also a private school here, too. I drive by it every morning as I take my kids to daycare. It is off Second Street just east of Alameda.

6) Speaking of Little Tokyo, there are a few stunningly beautiful and highly photogenic Buddist temples.

7) There's a rather ugly church (Methodist?) at the corner of San Pedro & Third. It is across the street from my pediatrician.

8) There's an astonishingly beautiful Catholic Church located at Figueroa & Adamas. There's a forlorn yet distinguished (Methodist?) church near this intersection.

9) Of course, the crown jewel of downtown churches is the Cathederal. Nice playground for my kids.

10) I hear there is a new synagoge at the corner of 7th & Broadway in one of the converted buildings.

11) The Mayan hosts services by Mosaic, which is a new evangelical church. I used to know one of the pastors.

12) There's a church in the Fashion District. I think it is on Main. Not sure.

13) What about Chinatown? I see some temples there. I have no idea what the spiritual practices are.

14) There's a Methodist Church at the corner of Olympic & Hope. They've demolished their church, but have done quite a job of redeveloping the entire block. I quite like the town houses. Too bad I'll never be able to live in them.

Why not do a post on each of these places every week? Include a little photo spread, too.

Not sure I agree with the premise, La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles is nearly 200 years old and there's also a large concentration of Buddhist temples Downtown, but certainly looking forward to learning what I don't know about lost churches Downtown.

The Historic Synagogues of Downtown L.A.

Congregation B’nai B’rith (later known as Wilshire Blvd. Temple) was organized on July 13, 1862. The Congregation’s first synagogue site on S. Fort Street (now Broadway) between 2nd and 3rd, is pictured above. This was the first Jewish building in Los Angeles. The cornerstone was laid on August 18, 1872. In 1896 Congregation B’nai B’rith built a larger synagogue at 9th and Hope. The cornerstone was laid on March 15, 1896 and it was dedicated on September 5. The architect was Abraham M. Edelman, son of its long-time rabbi.

Congregation Beth Israel was formed in 1899 by the merger of three congregations and is the oldest Orthodox congregation. Its synagogue at 227 Olive Street was dedicated on April 13, 1902, and it was used until 1940. It was a large building with twin towers with domes at the tops, also called the Olive Street Shul.

Sinai Synagogue arose out a conflict between Orthodox Jews, and broke away from Beth Israel (Olive Street Shul) around 1906. It was the first Conservative congregation. They used facilities at 521 West Pico, then purchased a lot at Valencia and 12th in the Pico Union area, and dedicated a new synagogue there on February 5, 1909. “The new temple had weathered oak furnishings and tinting in blending shades in brown and blue, with splendid art glass and windows and magnificent pipe organ.” (Vorspan & Gartner) A large Star of David still exists in a window and above the interior chandelier. Now it is the Welsh Presbyterian Church.

Info sourced from: http://home.earthlink.net/~nholdeneditor/temples_and_synagogues.htm

A representative of the Vatican had been dispatched to L.A. upon the completion of old St. Joseph's which stood until Labor Day weekend of 1983 at 12th and Los Angeles streets. A short in the wiring caused a fire and it rapidly turned to dust and made the front page in a big way the next day in the Times. The church (a veritable cathedral) was completed in 1901 under the aegis of the Order of Franciscans, was designed by brothers Adrian and Leonard OFM. The interior was unforgettable.

First United Methodist Church has had several buildings around downtown, starting with the El Dorado saloon sometime in 1854 (the saloon was converted to a church and school.) It met for a time in a courthouse, then moved to Fort Street, where the Grand Central Market is now.

The church with the 'rotunda' at 6th and Hill was ours, before the 8th and Hill building was built in the 20's.

By the 1960's everyone was moving to the suburbs and the congregations downtown began to shrink in size.

By the 1980's the building at 8th and Hill was deteriorating and the church could not secure funds to renovate.

The church sold its building to the So. Ca. Gas Co and purchased a building at Flower and Olympic; that building was demolished in 2003.

A new, mixed use building is planned for our site at that corner(to include a church, of course!) In the meantime we are meeting next door, at the Villa Flores apartments' multi-purpose room.

We've recently been given several old postcard pictures of some of our past sites, which we will be posting on our website next week. In the meanwhile you can see some of the buildings on USC's online photo archives.

Of course, this post tells some of the history of the buildings- the congregation over the past 155 years has been instrumental in founding several downtown and Los Angeles institutions, among them, the University of Southern California!

The several churches that were located downtown over the past two centuries have very interesting histories. For instance, there were tensions between pro-slavery congregations and anti-slavery congregations. (There were those who had hoped that when California joined the United States, it would be legal to own slaves here.)

I'd be glad to give more information to anyone who is curious, and even more glad to hear any history from others.

-Rev. Sandie Richards, minister, First United Methodist Church of Los Angeles, in downtown for good since 1854! (Formerly Fort St M.E. Church, and First M.E. Church, Los Angeles)

There's a large concentration of Buddhist temples inside the core section of Downtown (between the freeways).

I actually attend a historic church in the Downtown Area! First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (6th/Commonwealth) is a 1932 structure inspired by French Gothic design and is home to the world's largest church organ (based on number of pipes). With five buildings in its history, it's also known as the oldest Protestant church in continuous service in the Los Angeles area. The land for the church was provided by Clara Shatto (who also provided the land for MacArthur Park) and is the reason for the "Shatto Chapel" which is said to have the same dimensions as the Mayflower Ship.

There was Our Lady Chapel on 8th and Flower (next to small hotel). It was closed down when the the new Catholic Cathedral opened a few years ago. Our Lady Chapel was a gem.

ANY INFORMATION ON THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH LOCATED IN OLVERA STREET (Iglesia Metodista Unida de la Plaza) 115 Paseo Olvera) would appreciate any inform. THANKS