First Unitarian Church of San Jose
Encyclopedia
The First Unitarian Church of San Jose is located at 160 North Third Street in downtown San Jose, California
, across from St. James Park, and was designed in "Richardsonian Romanesque
" style by architect George Page, who also designed the Hayes Mansion
. Local historian Linda Larson Boston called the building, “One of a handful of American churches patterned after Unitarian churches of Transylvania, it features a large triple-arched stained glass window on the facade, multiple domes and cupolas, and both round and square towers,” in her pamphlet, Highlights of San Jose, California’s St. James Park and Environs. The congregation purchased the site in 1888, and the cornerstone was laid in a ceremony on September 23, 1891. The building is registered as Number 902 on the list of California Historical Landmarks.
The church is a member of The Unitarian Universalist Association
of Congregations (UUA) and "People Acting in Community Together".
, who spent several months in 1996 filming Mad City
at the San Jose Athletic Club next door.
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, across from St. James Park, and was designed in "Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
" style by architect George Page, who also designed the Hayes Mansion
Hayes Mansion
The Hayes Mansion is a hotel resort in San Jose, California, United States. It was constructed originally as a mansion and has been referred to as one of the best examples of late 19th-century Mediterranean Revival architecture the Santa Clara Valley...
. Local historian Linda Larson Boston called the building, “One of a handful of American churches patterned after Unitarian churches of Transylvania, it features a large triple-arched stained glass window on the facade, multiple domes and cupolas, and both round and square towers,” in her pamphlet, Highlights of San Jose, California’s St. James Park and Environs. The congregation purchased the site in 1888, and the cornerstone was laid in a ceremony on September 23, 1891. The building is registered as Number 902 on the list of California Historical Landmarks.
The church is a member of The Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
of Congregations (UUA) and "People Acting in Community Together".
Fire
On October 16, 1995, the church was gutted by a six-alarm fire that occurred during a major renovation project. For three years the congregation met at the community center across the street until the sanctuary was ready for services in 1998. Final restoration and renovation of the building cost $8 million, with work and fundraising continuing until 2001. One notable fundraiser featured actor Dustin HoffmanDustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, who spent several months in 1996 filming Mad City
Mad City (film)
Mad City is a 1997 drama film and thriller film written by Tom Matthews and Eric Williams, directed by Costa-Gavras, and starring Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta, Mia Kirshner, Alan Alda, Blythe Danner, Ted Levine, Raymond J. Barry, and Larry King.-Plot:...
at the San Jose Athletic Club next door.