Original SaveVenice

A community group dedicated to social justice, equity, and recognition of cultural heritage and legacy.

Statement of Significance

**UPDATE: On September 29, 2021, Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to designate First Baptist Church of Venice (FBCV) as a City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument. Our thanks go out to Councilman Mike Bonin for his support of that designation. SaveVenice held a community celebration at FBCV on Saturday, October 30, 2021.

Dr. Naomi Nightingale

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VENICE - Statement of Significance
671-685 East Westminster Avenue and 686-688 East Westminster Avenue

A. Proposed Monument Description

Site

The First Baptist Church of Venice is a two-story church and adjacent parking lots located at 671 685 East Westminster Avenue and 686-688 East Westminster Avenue at the intersection of East Westminster Avenue and South 7th Avenue in the Oakwood neighborhood of Venice. The property at 671-685 East Westminster Avenue sits at the north corner of East Westminster Avenue and South 7th Avenue. The total lot area measures approximately 18,746 square feet and is composed of the two-story church on the east end and a paved parking lot on the west end. The property is set back from the street by a sidewalk along Westminster and 7th Avenues. Across East Westminster Avenue at 686-688 East Westminster Avenue is a paved parking lot with a total lot area of approximately 11,268 square feet.

Exterior

The church building is constructed on a concrete foundation that has been leveled due to the sloping topography of the site. Along the south and east property lines, the building is set back from the sidewalk by hardscape and a landscaped lawn. The lawn is enclosed by a low concrete wall and iron fencing. There is a tall steel pole sign adjacent to the church building at the southeast corner of the lot. Historically a metal cross structure intersected with a rectangular opening in the southeast roofline of the church, but this feature has been removed.

Irregular in plan, the building consists of two masses around a central atrium: a sanctuary of wood- frame construction and a U-shaped education wing of concrete construction that wraps the sanctuary on the north-, west-, and south-facing elevations. The church has two street elevations: the primary south-facing elevation along Westminster Avenue and the secondary east-facing elevation along 7th Avenue. The west and north elevations face the parking lot and a rear alley. The roof on the sanctuary is a steeply pitched A-frame roof constructed of clapboard sheathing and wood rake covered in composite shingles. The roof on the education wing is flat.

The primary, south-facing elevation has two sections: the sanctuary to the east and the education wing to the west. The sanctuary is defined by the A-frame roofline with broad overhanging eaves and is composed of three bays. The east- and west-facing bays are vertically oriented and have stucco cladding with a natural stone veneer. The center bay is also vertically oriented and features projecting wood piers. The main entrance is centered on the elevation and consists of double wood swing doors flanked by sidelites and topped by a clerestory window. There are bronze lanterns affixed to the stone adjacent to the main entrance. The education wing is shorter and projects west from the sanctuary volume. It is clad in stucco and divided into two asymmetrical sections. The east-facing section is recessed and features a secondary entrance to the sanctuary on the ground floor with flanking sidelites and a canopy. There is a row of fixed steel windows on the second story of the education wing.

The secondary east-facing elevation, along 7th Avenue, consists of the sanctuary to the south and the education wing to the north. Fenestration on the sanctuary includes four large rectangular fixed windows to the south and a single entrance to the north. Similar to the south-facing elevation, the education wing’s east-facing elevation is divided into two asymmetrical sections: the southern shorter and recessed and the northern taller and projecting forward, in line with the sanctuary. Fenestration at the southern recessed section includes a rectangular first-floor entrance and two punched window openings at the second floor.

The north-facing elevation is mostly obscured by an overgrown tree and a rear yard fence. At the northwest corner of the building, there is a small square volume that projects from the main volume. Fenestration includes four aluminum-framed slider windows and a single entrance at the first story, and five aluminum-framed slider windows at the second story. The west-facing elevation, adjacent to the parking lot, has five groups of aluminum-framed slider windows with iron bars at the first and second stories.

Interior

The interior of the building includes a sanctuary, an education wing, an atrium between the sanctuary and education wing, and a small square volume projecting at the northwest.

The sanctuary space is double-height and includes a rectangular entrance vestibule to the south and a large rectangular room to the north. In the main entrance vestibule, the floors are multi color terrazzo tile, the walls are either plaster or wood paneling, and the ceilings are exposed clapboard supported on timber framing. Three rectangular, wood-framed openings in the vestibule’s north wall provide access into the main room of the sanctuary. The openings include wood-and-glass panel doors. In the main room of the sanctuary, there is an exposed concrete subfloor. The walls are plaster with wood wainscoting, and ceilings are exposed clapboard supported on timber framing.

The education wing features a secondary entrance leading to a double-height entrance vestibule with multi-color terrazzo tile floors, painted plaster walls, and textured acoustic ceilings. An open concrete-and-metal stair leads to the second floor. Beyond the first-floor vestibule, an L-shaped, single-loaded corridor wraps the interior atrium and leads to rooms of various sizes. At the north side of the first floor is in a large, rectangular assembly room. The assembly room is finished with exposed concrete sub-floors, painted plaster walls, and textured acoustic ceilings with concrete beams. A center beam is embellished with painted text reading, "Bishop E.L. Holmes Assembly Room.” West of the assembly room is the interior space of the one-story northeast square addition. This room serves as a kitchen and is finished with beige terrazzo tile floors, plaster walls and ceilings, and metal kitchen fixtures.

Permit History

1966: Permit issued to 1st Baptist Church of Venice for the construction of a new two- story church building and parking lot at 685 Westminster Avenue (City of Los Angeles Permit No. 1966WL65561). George R. Williams was listed as the architect and Joe Y. Sing as the engineer.

1966: Permit issued for a footing revision (City of Los Angeles Permit No. 1966WL65772).

1971: Permit issued for Certificate of Occupancy (City of Los Angeles Permit No. 1966WL65561).

1990: Permit issued for the construction of a steel pole sign with a 6’x5’ metal fascia by Local Neon to be located at the southeast corner of the lot (City of Los Angeles Permit No. 1990WL86951).

2003: Permit issued for the installation of a fiberglass mineral sub-face cap sheet at the flat roof by Midwest Roofing (City of Los Angeles Permit No. 03016-40000 20988).
2004: Permit issued for the installation of class "A” composite roofing by Midwest Roofing (City of Los Angeles Permit No. 04016-40000-18765).

2004: Permit issued the installation of an earthquake valve by Stephan Jack Plumbing & Heating (City of Los Angeles Permit No. 04042-90000-34283).

2014: Permit issued the installation of a 5-ton HVAC unit by Reliance Home Services (City of Los Angeles Permit No. 14044-90000-05922).

Alterations

In addition to the alterations described by the building permit history, the property has experienced several alterations that include the removal of all stained glass panels from window openings across all facades of the sanctuary and at the main entrance of the education wing; the removal of the original bronze hardware from the entrance doors; the removal of a metal cross structure historically intersecting with the southeast roofline on the primary fagade; and the replacement of wall coverings and flooring throughout the building, all at unknown dates. Additionally, all the pews and most of the historic fabric on the interior of the church have been removed, as well as the glazing of many of the windows. In October 2020, a fire at the property resulted in minor damage to the rear of the church.

B. Statement of Significance

The First Baptist Church of Venice meets one of the Historic-Cultural Monument criteria: it

“exemplifies significant contributions to the broad cultural, economic or social history of the nation, state, city or community" as an important site associated with the African American community in the Oakwood neighborhood of Venice in the mid- to late-20th century.

As the third home of the First Baptist Church of Venice, an institution rooted in the early development of Venice, the 1967 subject property was constructed with the financing and hands- on participation of congregants of the Church during Oakwood’s period as a predominantly African American enclave. Over the years of physical and demographic changes in Oakwood, the First Baptist Church of Venice, led by Bishop E.L. Holmes, represented an anchor of stability for long term residents, as well as a gathering place for friends and families who had left the neighborhood. Today, the subject property is one of the last remaining individually significant resources associated with the African American community in Oakwood.

From its construction until 2017, the building (Ocean Park Villa Tract, Block L, Lots 23-27) was the home of the First Baptist Church of Venice, originally founded as an African American congregation in 1910. The founding of the First Baptist Church of Venice corresponded with the evolution of Oakwood, formerly known as West Venice, as an early enclave of African American residents. Churches were important foundations for the developing neighborhood. The First Baptist Church of Venice was one of the first two churches in Oakwood formed to serve the African American community. It was founded by the Reverend R.S. Kelsey, along with other prominent members of the African American community, including Arthur Reese, the official town decorator for Venice. The church’s first home in Venice was a former barn at Fifth Street and San Juan Avenue, which is no longer extant.

Over the next several decades, as Oakwood continued to grow as an African American enclave in Venice, so too did the congregation of the First Baptist Church. Each time the Church outgrew their current space, the Oakwood community came together to construct a larger home for the Church. Prior to 1967, the congregation of the First Baptist Church convened at a one-story wood and stucco building designed by Paul R. Williams that was constructed in 1927 across the street at 686-688 Westminster Avenue (Ocean Park Villa Tract No. 2, Block M, Lots 1-2). By 1972, the church building was moved to 11205 South Vermont Avenue in Westmont, an area of unincorporated South Los Angeles, and the lots were converted to parking for the church.

In 1967, the subject property was constructed across Westminster Avenue from the church’s previous location. Designed in the Mid-Century Modern architectural style by architect George R. Williams, the church was financed and built entirely by monetary and hands-on contributions from congregants. The new, larger home for the church demonstrated the collective desire for a community center where residents could gather, worship, socialize, and advocate for shared goals for the neighborhood, and it was the first African American church in Venice to be purpose- built for a particular congregation. As Oakwood and greater Venice experienced significant change over the decades following the church’s construction, the subject property remained a symbol of security and support for the African American community. The congregation remained at the subject property until 2017, after the building and associated parking lots were sold to a private owner.

From approximately 1955 to 1999, the First Baptist Church of Venice was led by Bishop E.L. Holmes, a significant leader in the Oakwood neighborhood. Holmes oversaw the construction and dedication of the congregation’s third home at the subject property in 1967. Holmes developed support programs for community members, mentored congregants, organized peace marches, and advocated for greater neighborhood interests. His leadership and insistence on good character extended beyond the Church in the examples of principles repeated and demonstrated through dedicated parishioners. In honor of his achievements and 44 years of service within the Oakwood community, following his passing in 1999, the City of Los Angeles dedicated the intersection of Westminster Avenue and 7th Avenue, adjacent to the subject property, as Bishop E.L. Holmes Square.

The First Baptist Church of Venice is located within the Oakwood Planning District identified by SurveyLA, the citywide historic resources survey, as significant as a rare example of an early- 20th century African American enclave in Venice. The survey found that while the area does not retain sufficient integrity or cohesion to qualify as an historic district, it may warrant special consideration for local planning purposes.

As the National Trust for Historic Preservation writes in a 2020 report on preserving African American places, "Too often, systems of injustice and the entities that perpetuate them have rendered the historic imprint of Black people invisible in American cities because of systemic racism, segregation, disinvestment, displacement, and more.” When years of disinvestment leave primarily African American neighborhoods with vacant, poorly maintained or demolished buildings, there are fewer examples of structures that are found to have individual integrity or to belong to a cohesive district. Because of this pattern and the decline of the African American population in Venice, the subject property represents one of the few remaining sites with individual historic significance to the African American community in Oakwood.

Early Development of the African American Enclave in Oakwood

In 1891, tobacco magnate and real estate developer Abbot Kinney and his business partner, Francis G. Ryan, purchased a 1.5-mile-long strip of beachfront land located to the south of Santa Monica. The 275-acre parcel, which extended from Strand Street south to Mildred Avenue, had originally comprised a portion of the Rancho La Ballona and was initially settled by the Machado and Talamantes families in the early 1800s. Kinney and Ryan turned their attention to the northern portion of the tract, where they developed the resort community of Ocean Park. After Ryan’s death in 1898, Kinney attempted to carry on and eventually acquired three new business partners in 1902: Alexander Fraser, Henry Gage, and George Merritt Jones.

Over time, Kinney has become known for his development of the Venice of America tract, which occurred in 1904 following his professional split from the three men and the subsequent dissolution of their business operations. However, in the intervening years Kinney, Fraser, Gage, and Jones invested in expanding and improving the community of Ocean Park under the auspices of the Ocean Park Development Company. Their success spurred development by other investors in the surrounding area. The first subdivisions for residential development occurred around 1903; many subsequent tracts were recorded after Venice of America was officially opened in 1905, and development activity continued through the mid-1920s.

While the Oakwood neighborhood exemplifies trends in residential development during the early 1900s, it is perhaps more notable as an important example of African American life in Southern California during the 20th century. There were three phases of African American population expansion in Venice; the first two phases were a direct result of migration from the South as African Americans sought improved living conditions, greater financial opportunities, andincreased freedom from racially hostile communities. The first of these phases took place in the early 1900s. The population of Blacks in Venice tripled between 1910 and 1920 as many arrived to work as manual laborers, service workers, and servants to wealthy white residents. Some of the earliest African American residents of Venice settled in the area because they were hired as employees of Abbot Kinney; among these were cousins Arthur Reese and Irvin Tabor.

Reese arrived with his family from Louisiana around 1905, intending to establish a janitorial service, and soon invited his cousin Irvin Tabor and family to join them in Oakwood. Reese, an artist and sculptor, began making suggestions to Kinney and eventually was hired as the town decorator. He is best known for decorating parade floats simulating Mardi Gras, which became emblematic of Reese’s sterling career. Tabor was eventually hired as Abbot Kinney’s chauffeur, and the two men forged a special bond. When Abbot Kinney died, he willed his house to Tabor. However, due to racist sentiments elsewhere in Venice, Tabor was compelled to move the house to its present-day location in Oakwood. Both the Reese and Tabor residences remain extant in Oakwood today; the Kinney-Tabor House located at 1310 S. Sixth Avenue is designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #926.

At the time, housing was sporadically scattered throughout the area that would eventually become Oakwood, and as much of the land remained undeveloped, it became an early site for African American homeownership. In the 1930s, the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC), assisted by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), prepared "neighborhood security maps” that color-coded neighborhoods to indicate where it was safe to insure mortgages. Anywhere in and near Black neighborhoods was colored red to indicate high-risk and discourage lending. By the end of the 1930s, redlining practices had defined the boundaries of the Black areas of Los Angeles, including Oakwood. It is unclear whether or not racially restrictive housing covenants - already enacted in nearby communities like Santa Monica - were enforced in Ocean Park and Venice. However, de facto segregation in hiring practices and real estate sales restricted the mobility of Black residents and led to the development of Oakwood (originally called West Venice) as a predominantly African American neighborhood. As one African American resident later recalled, when asked why her family had chosen to settle in Oakwood, "This was the only place that they would sell to you. We knew.”

Several neighborhood churches were founded during this earliest phase of migration from the South to Los Angeles. The First Baptist Church of Venice was one of the first two churches in Oakwood formed to serve the African American community. It was founded by the Reverend R.S. Kelsey, along with other prominent members of the African American community, including Arthur Reese. The first church home in Venice was a former barn at Fifth Street and San Juan Avenue, which is no longer extant. Other early congregations that served as important gathering places for the African American community included Bethel Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, Friendship Baptist Church, and The Nazarene Church (now New Bethel Baptist Church).

The second phase of migration from the Southern states occurred during World War II, when the need for defense workers at nearby manufacturing facilities, such as Hughes Aircraft in Culver City and McDonnell Douglas in Santa Monica. The population of Blacks in Oakwood tripled again

between 1940 and 1950. The third and final phase of migration came during the postwar population boom and subsequent construction of the Santa Monica Freeway during the late 1950s through the 1960s. At that time, Black and Latino residents who had been evicted from their homes in Santa Monica under eminent domain relocated to Venice.

Neighborhood Changes in Oakwood, 1960s to 2000

In the 1960s and 70s, Blacks represented the largest racial category in Oakwood. The 1970 census showed that Blacks made up 45 percent of the population, with Latinos following at 32 percent. It was not until after 1970 that the Black population in Oakwood began to disperse. Ten years later, the relative sizes of the two populations had inverted, with Latinos making up 45 percent of the population and Blacks 30 percent. By 2000, Latinos still represented the largest group in the neighborhood, but whites were now the second largest population (33 percent). Blacks made up 15 percent of the total 8,536 Oakwood residents that year. This demographic transition is the result of social, economic, and political changes that occurred in Oakwood between the 1960s and the present.

As the economic environment began to shift during the highly politicized 1960s and 1970s, many Blacks found it difficult to secure housing and employment. By that time, many descendants of the neighborhood’s earliest African American families had settled in Oakwood, creating a tradition of third-, fourth-, and fifth-generation residents. To provide an opportunity for children and grandchildren to become homeowners in Venice, families frequently constructed additional houses on the same parcel of land. Additionally, community organizers collaborated with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to construct fourteen low-income housing projects in Oakwood during the early 1970s. These buildings were scattered throughout the entire area and aimed to allow African American residents to maintain a strong association with the neighborhood.

Still, for a variety of reasons, many African Americans began to leave the area. Several factors contributed to the decline of the African American population in Oakwood. Challenges associated with racism and disinvestment in the 1960s and 1970s led to heightened crime, widespread unemployment, and incarceration of third- and fourth-generation African American residents. Alan Gorg’s documentary film The Savages (1967), produced the same year as the subject property’s construction, depicts the racial and economic disparities in Venice at this time. The film includes testimony from Oakwood residents who discuss their living conditions and the lack of opportunity due to institutionalized oppression. Confrontations between residents and police also led to conflict. Beginning in the 1980s, many Black and Latino families were pushed from the neighborhood by gang injunctions, which restricted young men of color from gathering in public. The injunctions continued into the 2010s, until a federal court ruled them unconstitutional in 2018.

In recent decades, Venice has also witnessed significant redevelopment. Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, many middle-class whites, including artists, moved to Oakwood in search of affordable housing near the coast. By the early 1990s, increased police involvement and the creation of neighborhood task forces contributed to a growing sense of security for newer residents. However, many long-term residents were skeptical of the heightened police presence after years of alleged avoidance. It was during this time that the area previously called West Venice became known as Oakwood. The name was derived from nearby Oakwood Park, a site associated with criminal activity, which led many residents to feel that their community had been branded with a negative reputation.

Oakwood residents have acknowledged that the demographic shifts over the past few decades have been influenced by natural economic processes, such as seniors retiring and opting to sell properties, or families choosing to move to less expensive cities. However, many African American residents had not had the opportunity to accumulate wealth that would have allowed them to remain in their neighborhood amid rising housing costs. Additionally, many African American homeowners experienced pressure by real estate agents to sell their properties. In Oakwood, rising housing costs have meant that what was once one of the few places African Americans could live in Los Angeles due to restrictive practices is now inaccessible to many of those same families.

However, as many African American families were compelled to move out of Oakwood, remaining community institutions served as gathering places for former residents and contributed to the sense of a concentrated African American community despite the dwindling population. Churches were central to Oakwood’s community and became safe spaces to address local issues. The 1967 construction of the subject property was a testament to the strength of this community, which was rooted in the early development of Oakwood and had grown consistently over the years.

In 1966, plans were filed for the third home in the First Baptist Church of Venice’s history. Located on a larger lot on the north side of Westminster Avenue, across the street from the church’s second location, the new structure was designed in the Mid-Century Modern style as a two-story wood and stucco building with a distinctive A-frame roof, sanctuary seating for 450, 17 classrooms and a community room. The members of the congregation collectively furnished $500,000 for the new building. The new church was prominently sited at the same intersection as the church’s previous home. The congregation sought the construction of a larger home to accommodate its growing membership and activities. The new church building demonstrated the desire for a community center where residents could gather, worship, socialize, and advocate for shared goals for the neighborhood. As Oakwood witnessed significant social changes and a dwindling African American population over the decades following the church’s construction, the subject property would function as a beacon of stability for the community.

The church was constructed at a time of great need for community advocacy in Oakwood, when many residents were struggling with poverty, unemployment, and poor housing conditions. Bishop E. L. Holmes, who led the First Baptist Church of Venice for 44 years, cited the construction of the subject property as evidence that conditions in Oakwood were improving. Holmes went on to create programs administered by the church to support families through difficult times. During this time, the First Baptist Church of Venice was considered a crucial foundation of support within aturbulent neighborhood.

E.L. Holmes

Elmer Lawrence Holmes was born on February 13, 1916 on a farm in Kiblah, Arkansas. Bishop E. L. Holmes spent his youth in Arkansas and Texas. He was valedictorian of his high school class in Nash, Texas, and he received a bachelor’s degree from Bishop College in Marshall, Texas. After visiting the First Baptist Church of Venice in 1955, Bishop Holmes moved to Los Angeles the following year to serve as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Venice. Several members of his community in Arkansas followed him to Los Angeles and became congregants of the First Baptist Church.

Bishop Holmes initially settled in the church parsonage located at 606 Westminster Avenue before building a home on the corner of Brooks Avenue and 7th Avenue. He was committed to not only serve as pastor at the Church but to live in and serve the community. Bishop Holmes was a fixture in the community, where his presence and the prominence of his home brought pride and dignity to the community. He led the First Baptist Church of Venice for 44 years.

Bishop Holmes played an instrumental role in both the church and greater Oakwood community during times of upheaval and neighborhood change. In response to community issues like unemployment and housing conditions, Bishop Holmes created programs to support families through hardship. He mentored young community members who experienced both gang violence and oppressive police presence and supported residents affected by gang injunctions. In response to upticks in neighborhood violence in the 1990s, Bishop Holmes organized peace marches around Venice, starting at the First Baptist Church. He also used his role as a church leader to voice issues and represent the interests of the community to local planning committees. He was known for dedicating himself to small but significant neighborhood improvements, such as advocating for traffic safety measures and regular street cleaning. His leadership, insistence on good character and proper behavior extended beyond the Church in the examples of principles repeated and demonstrated through dedicated parishioners.

Bishop Holmes also served as the Dean of Reed Christian College in Compton, and his preaching ministry took him to Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, and other parts of California. He was a member of the Western Ministerial Alliance in Venice and Santa Monica. Members of the Alliance held meetings, planned actions, and used their influence as leaders of the black churches and representatives of large numbers of African Americans in these two communities to influence social, political, and economic policy including advocating for the passage of 1965 Civil Rights Act and the 1968 Voting Rights Act. He was also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and conducted chapter meetings at the First Baptist Church. Bishop Holmes broke racial barriers and was a respected member of various local community and business organizations, including the Venice Rotary Club, the Venice Chamber of Commerce, the Boys and Girls Club of Venice, the Board of Judges for Venice High School, and the Police Expo of Los Angeles. He understood that his active participation in these organizations allowed him to expand his work on behalf of members of the Church and the community and influence change while continuing to lead the Church. He was married to Beatrice Holmes for 56 years, until his death on November 12, 1999. Following his passing, the City of Los Angeles dedicated the intersection of Westminster Avenue and 7th Avenue, adjacent to the subject property, as Bishop E.L. Holmes Square, honoring his achievements and significance to the community.

African American Churches in Los Angeles

Throughout the 20th century, churches were crucial anchors of the African American community in Los Angeles. They represented spaces of racial autonomy and freedom, where African Americans came together by choice and strengthened ties of mutuality. They were sanctuaries of spiritual freedom, places where people could freely express themselves unfettered by the expectations or pressures of white society. For African Americans in Los Angeles, Black churches were a haven from racist environments. They represented springboards for community leadership, as well as centers of social life, business networks, and civil rights activism. Churches, too, reflected the diversity of the African American community by class, background, and cultural proclivities. They played a vital role in allowing Black congregants to express their individuality, while tying them to the broader community.

African American churches in Los Angeles evolved in both national and metropolitan contexts. The church has deep roots in African American history as an institution with far-ranging meaning and significance. Since the days of slavery, African Americans embraced the Christian faith, particularly its message of liberation and deliverance. They were quick to form their own churches after emancipation, independent of white intervention. In the South, Black churches were predominantly Methodist or Baptist; in the North and Midwest, the leading denomination was the African Methodist Episcopal Church. For African Americans, the church represented a space of Black autonomy - spiritual, social, political - and as such it became a powerful institution. In Los Angeles, Black churches grew in a metropolitan context of extraordinary religious diversity.

In the African American community, a handful of powerful mainline churches were the dominant institutions, coexisting with a copious assortment of smaller churches. Black churches in Los Angeles appeared early and proliferated quickly, following the broader geographic patterns of Black settlement. By 1926, according to the federal religious census, Los Angeles had 33 Black churches with over 10,000 members; by 1936 there were 54 churches with 17,296 members. The actual numbers were probably higher, since census enumerators usually overlooked smaller storefront churches. A number of these churches moved often, sometimes occupying structures once owned by other (white) congregations.

SurveyLA identifies several eligibility standards for evaluating properties for historic significance under the theme of "African American History of Los Angeles” and the subtheme of "Religion and Spirituality, 1869-1980.” These include evaluating whether a property "was constructed or used by African Americans during the period of significance” and/or "represents an important association with the African American community in Los Angeles.” The First Baptist Church of Venice meets both of these eligibility standards.

The construction of the subject property in 1967 was necessitated by the growth of the First Baptist congregation. At its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, the First Baptist Church had over 600 congregants, and the church’s multi-generational congregation included families whose church membership began as early as 1910.

The First Baptist Church of Venice also represents an important association with the African American community in Venice. From its construction in 1967, the First Baptist Church played an important role as a center for neighborhood gathering in Oakwood. Like other African American churches in Los Angeles, the First Baptist Church provided a venue for community togetherness, as well as individual spiritual expression. The building was particularly significant as a community anchor for African American residents during times of neighborhood change beginning in the 1960s. It represented a site of community activism, where Bishop E.L. Holmes developed support programs for families affected by gang and police violence, organized marches and demonstrations, and allowed local groups to meet.

Mid-Century Modernism

The term "Mid-Century Modern” is a broad classification of postwar Modernism that is used to describe an array of Modern idioms and sub-styles that were popular after World War II. As an architectural style, Mid-Century Modernism is extremely versatile; its application was lent to a diverse array of property types, from custom single-family dwellings to housing tracts, to commercial buildings and shopping centers, and to institutional and industrial campuses. Itsaesthetic was applied to the upper echelons of architecture and also to the vernacular built environment, speaking to the extent of its popularity and versatility.

The Mid-Century Modern style was often adapted to churches and other ecclesiastical buildings. As the population of postwar Los Angeles grew, so too did the number of congregants attending local churches, underscoring the need for expanded facilities and more space. Church culture also evolved during this period; specifically, the church "grew beyond serving as just a space for worship into a place for community activities.” The large, single-room sanctuaries that had dominated religious design for generations were increasingly seen as outmoded.

Mid-Century Modernism lent itself especially well to the evolving needs of these religious institutions. Compared to the more traditional Gothic and Romanesque Revival style churches of years past, Modernism utilized materials that were much more cost efficient and readily available. Industrial materials like concrete, steel, and laminated beams were used in lieu of brick and stone, significantly reducing construction costs. These materials also proved to be very malleable in their application, allowing architects to design expressive buildings that symbolized the eminent role that churches and religious organizations played in the social fabric of postwar American life.

The First Baptist Church of Venice is designed in a Mid-Century Modern style that reflects the postwar period. Its characteristic features include a steeply pitched A-frame roof, unadorned stucco walls with stone accent cladding, geometric fenestration and clerestories articulated with a subtle curve, and the stylized cross structure intersecting with the rectangular roof opening (no longer extant).

George R. Williams

George R. Williams was born on September 8, 1923 in Earles, Arkansas. After serving in the military during World War II, he graduated from Howard University with a degree in architecture in 1950. He later moved to Los Angeles and established an office on Crenshaw Boulevard in 1963. Some of his works include the Pleasant Stanton tracts of homes in Altadena (1965), the Christ Second Baptist Church in Long Beach (1967), and the First Baptist Church of Venice (1968). He was a member of the Southern California chapter of the AIA.

Bibliography

Architectural Resources Group. "Historical Resources Assessment: 685 Westminster Avenue, Los Angeles.” Prepared for 685 Westminster Holdings, LLC, July 27, 2018.

City of Los Angeles. "SurveyLA Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement, Context: African American History of Los Angeles, 1862-1932.” Prepared by GPA Consulting and Alison Rose Jefferson for the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, Office of Historic Resources, January 2018.

City of Los Angeles. "SurveyLA Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement, Context: Pre Consolidation Communities of Los Angeles, 1862-1932.” Prepared by Daniel Prosser for the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, Office of Historic Resources, 2016.

City of Los Angeles Council File 00-0589, "Bishop E.L. Holmes,” March 29, 2000.

Cofield, Rita. Oakwood: Exploring the Tangible & Intangible Resources of a “Black Ethnic Enclave" in Venice, California-Early 1900s through 1960s. University of Southern California. October 2020.

County of Los Angeles. Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety Online Building Permits.

Deener, Andrew. "The Decline of a Black Community by the Sea: Demographic and Political Changes in Oakwood.” Black Los Angeles: American Dreams and Racial Realities. Darnell Hunt and Ana-Christina Ramon, eds. New York: New York University Press, 2010.

Diamond Jubilee Anniversary 1910-1985 75 Years,” First Baptist Church of Venice, 1985. Gorg, Alan. The Savages (1967). UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Historic Resources Group. "SurveyLA Historic Resources Survey Report: Venice Community Plan Area.” Prepared for the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, Office of Historic Resources, 2015.

Lopez, Richard J. "Op-Ed: The First Baptist Church has closed, a symbol of Venice’s shrinking black population.” Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2018.

National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Preserving African American Places: Growing Preservation’s Potential as a Path for Equity.” October 2020.

Nightingale, Naomi. "The African American Enclave in Venice.” March 1,2021.
Rothstein, Richard. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated

America. Liveright Publishing: New York, NY. 2017.
Simpson, Kelly. "The Great Migration: Creating a New Black Identity in Los Angeles.” KCET,

February 15, 2012.

"Sunday Service: Venice Baptists Will Dedicate New Church,” Evening Outlook, March 30, 1968, p. 6.

The First Baptist Church of Venice: A Brief History.” SaveVenice.com.
Whang, Oliver. "The Fight to Save 100 Years of Black History in Gentrifying Los Angeles.

National Geographic, October 16, 2020