Sent to me by Paul and Yuna who are members.
Founded in 1849, Saint Marks's is the oldest Lutheran parish west of the Mississippi. The original church was at Stockton and O'Farrell Streets, where Macy's west coast flagship store now sits. In 1894, the parish occupied this building which it had built, having outgrown the original site - and the population of the city having moved west. In the 1906 earthquake and fire, the church was nearly destroyed by fire crews dynamiting buildings trying to stop the fire. Most of the water mains in the city had broken in the quake. The pastor begged the fire crews to try an adjacent water main. It worked and the church was spared. The basement of the church became a hospital and soup kitchen for earthquake victims. The church took a serious hit in the 1989 earthquake. In 2006, an $11,000,000 restoration and earthquake retrofitting was completed. In contrast to the rather stern exterior, the interior is very warm and comforting. The acoustics are superb. In the restoration, the church was fitted with a superb Baroque-style tracker organ.
I added two more pics. One of Paul and Yuna and one of the interior.
5 comments:
Gosh I like the outside! While it may seem stern there's something very appealing about it. Love that huge circular window.
Mary Beth, thank you for posting this. I'm sending the link to others at Saint Mark's.
Gorgeous church! What incredible architecture.
Oldest west of the Mississippi? Historic Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis was founded in 1839.
My parents and grandparents attended this church. My Dad, who was born in 1901,took his confirmation here, probably between 1912-1914. I can't wait to see it again
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