View source for First Unitarian Church of Oakland

{{short description|Historic church in California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox church
| embedded = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed                          = yes
| name                           = First Unitarian Church
| designated_other1              = California
| designated_other1_number       = 896
| designated_other1_date         = June 16, 1976
| designated_other1_num_position = both
| designated_other2              = ODL
| designated_other2_number       = 13
| designated_other2_date         = August 5, 1975
| image                          = 1stUnitarianChurch OaklandCA.jpg
| caption                        = View of the church facade, facing southwest
| location                       = 685 14th Street, [[Oakland, California]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| nearest_city                   =
| coordinates                    = {{coord|37|48|23|N|122|16|36|W|display=inline,title}}
| built                          = 1891
| added                          = June 16, 1977
| refnum                         = 77000284
}}
| denomination = [[Unitarian Universalism|Unitarian Universalist]]
| website = {{URL|uuoakland.org}}
| location = [[Oakland]], [[California]]
| country = United States
}}
The '''First Unitarian Church of Oakland''' is located in western [[Downtown Oakland, California|Downtown Oakland]], [[California]].  It is a member of the [[Unitarian Universalist Association]].

==History==
The building site was purchased in November 1888 from [[Jane K. Sather]], a patron of the [[University of California]]. Construction began in 1890 and was completed in September 1891, although it began to be used for various activities while still unfinished.

The church building was designed in 1889 by [[Walter J. Mathews]]. This solid masonry [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival style]] church departed radically from California's then predominant wood framed [[Carpenter Gothic|Carpenter Gothic style]] churches. It is noted for its famous [[stained glass]] windows produced by Goodhue of Boston, and for its arching redwood spans that were the widest at the time west of the [[Rocky Mountains]].

The [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]] damaged the building, but did not destroy it.

===Landmark===
The church is listed as [[California Historical Landmark]] #896, and is also listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NPS-77000284). The church remains a significant cultural and architectural landmark in Oakland.

==References==
*{{cite ohp |id=896 |name=First Unitarian Church of Oakland |accessdate=2012-03-30}}
*{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ca/ca2200/ca2284/data/ca2284data.pdf |title=First Unitarian Church |last=Corbett |first=Michael |date=1997 |website=Historic American Buildings Survey |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |accessdate=February 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012171949/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ca/ca2200/ca2284/data/ca2284data.pdf |archive-date=October 12, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|position=left}}
*{{Official website |http://www.uuoakland.org}}
* [http://div.hds.harvard.edu/library/bms/bms00453.html Harvard.edu: Historical records of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland] — ''at the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School.''
*{{HABS |survey=CA-2670 |id=ca2284 |title=First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 Fourteenth Street, Oakland, Alameda County, CA |photos=12 |data=41 |cap=2}}
{{List of Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist churches|state=collapsed}}
{{Oakland, California}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in California}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Churches in Oakland, California]]
[[Category:Unitarian Universalist churches in California]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 1891]]
[[Category:California Historical Landmarks]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Oakland, California]]
[[Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in California]]
[[Category:19th century in Oakland, California]]
[[Category:1890s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:Romanesque Revival church buildings in California]]
[[Category:Oakland Designated Landmarks]]


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