First Unitarian Church (San Francisco)
| First Unitarian Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 1187 Franklin Street, San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°47′07″N 122°25′23″W / 37.785411°N 122.423166°W |
| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | Percy & Hamilton |
| Designated | 10 July 1971[1] |
| Reference no. | 40 |
The First Unitarian Church is a church structure built in 1889 and is located at 1187 Franklin Street at Geary Street in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood, San Francisco, California.[2] It is also known the First Unitarian Universalist Church, and is nicknamed "Starr King's church".[3]
History[edit]
The Unitarians built their first San Francisco Church in 1853 at 805 Stockton Street. When the congregation outgrew the first building within a decade, a new church was built on Union Square at 133 Geary Street, under clergyman Thomas Starr King, who was instrumental in advocating for California to join the Union.[4][5] Thomas Starr King died in 1864 and his sarcophagus still remains is on the grounds of the church.[6]
In 1889, the church was moved to 1187 Franklin Street, its current location. The building was designed by architects Percy & Hamilton in the Richardson Romanesque-style.[7] After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the bell tower was rebuilt.[7]
Prominent members associated with the early days of the church in San Francisco were James Otis,[8] Leland Stanford, Bret Harte, Andrew Smith Hallidie, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.[2] Later members of the congregation included Julia Ward Howe and Edward Everett Hale.[9] Other ministers after Starr King at this church included Horatio Stebbins (1821–1902) serving from 1864 to 1900;[10] Bradford Leavitt (born 1868) serving from 1900 to 1949;[11] Harry C. Meserve (1914–2000), serving from 1949 to 1957;[12] and Harry Barron Scholefield (1914–2003) serving from 1957 to 1975.[13][14]
See also[edit]
- List of San Francisco Designated Landmarks
- First Unitarian Church (Berkeley, California)
- First Unitarian Church of Oakland
- Starr King School for the Ministry
References[edit]
- ^ "City of San Francisco Designated Landmarks" (PDF). City of San Francisco. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- ^ a b "San Francisco Landmark #40: First Unitarian Church". Noehill.com. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ Dowd, Katie (2015-10-12). "Even more pre-1870 photos of San Francisco". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ Buehrens, John (2021-06-09). "Thomas Starr King: Protector of the Union, and Yosemite". Harvard Magazine. ISSN 0095-2427. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ Harris, Mark W. (2003). Historical Dictionary of Unitarian Universalism. Scarecrow Press. pp. 290–292. ISBN 9780810865808.
- ^ Dowd, Katie (2020-05-26). "Thomas Starr King: The man who 'saved' California — and who California forgot". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ a b Michelson, Alan. "1st Unitarian Church #3, Western Addition, San Francisco, CA (1889)". Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD). Built Environments Library, University of Washington.
- ^ The Pacific Unitarian, Volumes 29-32. San Francisco, CA. January 1920. p. 166.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Fifty Years of the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco, October 20, 1850-October 21, 1900. First Unitarian Society of San Francisco. The Society for Christian Work, Murdock Press. 1901. p. 32.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Mace, Emily. "Stebbins, Horatio (1821–1902)". Harvard Square Library. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ Berner, Bertha (1934). Incidents in the Life of Mrs. Leland Stanford. Edwards Brothers, Inc.
- ^ "Meserve, Harry C." SFGATE. 2000-12-03. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ Lattin, Don (2003-03-12). "Harry Scholefield -- path-breaking Unitarian cleric". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ "Scholefield, Harry Barron". SFGATE. 2003-03-09. Retrieved 2022-10-22.