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Circle Window
updated: Mar 22, 2011, 9:08 PM
By Dedicated Staff
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This cool round window can be found on the front of one of Santa Barbara's oldest churches. Or at least on a building that used to be a church.
The Saint Mark's Episcopal Church was built in 1875. And (correct us if we're wrong) this church has been moved from its original location at the corner of Micheltorena and Anacapa to its current location at 2020 Chapala Street (just up from Mission Street).
An online historical resource states the following...
"The first Protestant church to be organized here was the Trinity Episcopal on March 28, 1867. For the first two years services were held in a little brick schoolhouse in the yard of the Lincoln School, after which the church building was erected on Guiterrez Street near Anacapa. In 1875 there was division in the congregation, and one faction built a new church for itself called St. Marks at the corner of Anacapa and Micheltorena Streets, but the new venture did not last long, and in 1888 the re-united society built another church at the corner of Anacapa and Anapamu Streets. This was burned down in 1903, and the congregation then held services in the Parish Hall. Finally in 1912 the present church was erected, at the corner of State and Micheltorena Streets."
Neal Graffy emailed Edhat saying that he has old pictures of the old church at its original location. This page will be updated with those pictures when they become available.
Today the church is a mortuary.
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Historian Neal Graffy adds:
This picture, taken in April, 1893 from the top of the Arlington Hotel, shows Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church at its original location at the NE corner of Anacapa and Micheltorena. It was built around 1875 which is somewhat surprising to me as the Episcopal community had already erected a fine church – Trinity Episcopal - on East Gutierrez between State and Anacapa in 1869. In 1875 Santa Barbara only had a population of 3,500 or so and though the town was still predominantly Catholic, the Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Methodists and Baptists all had decent churches for their fledgling congregations.
Nevertheless, the Episcopalians built their second church which apparently was stretching the flock a little too thin, so they sold it to the Baptists in 1882. In 1910 the building was moved to the SW corner of Anapamu and de la Vina. At some point, perhaps coinciding with the 1910 date, it was sold to the Seventh Day Adventists. They moved the church around 1932/33 to the back lot of the former American Film Company (the Flying A) studios where it was give in its new (and current) address of 2020 Chapala.
The Seventh Day Adventists moved out in the early 1960s and the Central Church of Christ took over for the next decade or so before the church was decommissioned and turned over to commercial use.
The architect for this church was Peter J. Barber, Santa Barbara’s leading architect. In the summer of 1875 alone he had the Arlington Hotel, the Upper Clock Building, the First National Bank, the Presbyterian Church and three residences all underway. A number of his homes have been saved and cherished by generations of Santa Barbara including the Sexton House (Goleta) the Upham Hotel, the Mortimer Cook House (1407 Chapala), and the Hunt-Stambach House which is another well-traveled building.
Other items of interest in this photo: In the lower right side of the photo below the church are the studios and home of Julius Starke, a master wood craftsman and as the signs note, seller of “Curiosities, Indian Relics” and other tourist items. The white “steeple” to the left and above the church is the Orena Mansion at Laguna and Mission (site of Roosevelt School). Speaking of schools, across from the church is the site of Notre Dame (Dolores when I was a kid)) School. But in 1893, it was the site of a public school. The large white building to the rear of that block is the Washington School at Arrellaga and Anacapa which is now the baseball field and playground for the Notre Dame School. The building towards the front of the property was a residence then, but in later years it was the University Club (now at Santa Barbara and Sola) and at some point I think it was a mortuary. I’ve been told but haven’t confirmed that it was moved (and remodeled severely) to 922 Bath Street. And of course, way in the distance surrounded by barren hills and open land is Mission Santa Barbara.
Photos courtesy Neal Graffy Collection
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