First Unitarian Church (San Francisco) Explained

First Unitarian Church
Built:1889
Location:1187 Franklin Street,
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Designation1:San Francisco
Designation1 Number:40
Designation1 Date:10 July 1971[1]
Architect:Percy & Hamilton

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

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.

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. 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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: City of San Francisco Designated Landmarks. City of San Francisco. 2022-10-21.
  2. Web site: San Francisco Landmark #40: First Unitarian Church . 2022-10-22 . Noehill.com.
  3. Web site: Dowd . Katie . 2015-10-12 . Even more pre-1870 photos of San Francisco . 2022-10-22 . SFGATE . en-US.
  4. Web site: Buehrens . John . 2021-06-09 . Thomas Starr King: Protector of the Union, and Yosemite . 2022-10-22 . . en . 0095-2427.
  5. Book: Harris, Mark W. . Historical Dictionary of Unitarian Universalism . Scarecrow Press . 2003 . 9780810865808 . 290–292.
  6. Web site: Dowd . Katie . 2020-05-26 . Thomas Starr King: The man who 'saved' California — and who California forgot . 2022-10-22 . SFGATE . en-US.
  7. Web site: Michelson . Alan . 1st Unitarian Church #3, Western Addition, San Francisco, CA (1889) . Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD) . Built Environments Library, University of Washington.
  8. Book: The Pacific Unitarian, Volumes 29-32 . January 1920 . San Francisco, CA . 166 . en.
  9. Book: Fifty Years of the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco, October 20, 1850-October 21, 1900 . 1901 . The Society for Christian Work, Murdock Press . First Unitarian Society of San Francisco . 32 . en.
  10. Web site: Mace . Emily . Stebbins, Horatio (1821–1902) . 2022-10-22 . Harvard Square Library . en-US.
  11. Book: Berner, Bertha . Incidents in the Life of Mrs. Leland Stanford . Edwards Brothers, Inc. . 1934 . en.
  12. Web site: 2000-12-03 . Meserve, Harry C. . 2022-10-22 . SFGATE . en-US.
  13. Web site: Lattin . Don . 2003-03-12 . Harry Scholefield -- path-breaking Unitarian cleric . 2022-10-22 . SFGATE . en-US.
  14. Web site: 2003-03-09 . Scholefield, Harry Barron . 2022-10-22 . SFGATE . en-US.

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