First Congregational Church of Los Angeles
| First Congregational Church of Los Angeles | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| 34°3′51.8″N 118°17′5.4″W / 34.064389°N 118.284833°WCoordinates: 34°3′51.8″N 118°17′5.4″W / 34.064389°N 118.284833°W | |
| Location | 540 S Commonwealth Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | United Church of Christ |
| Churchmanship | Congregational |
| Membership | 491 |
| Weekly attendance | 225 |
| Website | fccla |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1867 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Allison & Allison |
| Style | |
| Completed | 1932 |
| Specifications | |
| Height | 157 ft (48 m) (tower) |
| Floor area | 157,000 sq ft (14,600 m2) |
| Materials | Reinforced concrete |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Rev. Laura Vail Fregin (Interim)[1] |
| Laity | |
| Organist(s) | Dr. Christoph Bull |
First Congregational Church of Los Angeles is a located church at 540 South Commonwealth Avenue, Los Angeles, California, United States. It is a member of the United Church of Christ.[2] Founded in 1867, the church is the city's oldest continuous Protestant congregation.[3] The congregation moved around using a variety of buildings until it moved to its current location in 1932, with the first service being held on March 13, 1932.[4]
The current building is an impressive English Gothic Revival-style designed by Los Angeles' architects James Edward Allison & David Clark Allison, the massive concrete structure was reinforced with more than 500 tons of steel. Its dominant feature is a tower soaring 157 feet and weighing 30,000 tons. There are four three-ton pinnacles at the corners of the tower rise another nineteen feet. Supported by more than 150 caissons extending up to forty-five feet into the bedrock.[5] The church is claimed to house the world's second largest church organ.
On March 15, 2002, the church was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission.[6]
Organ[]
The church has the world's second largest church organ although, similar to the instrument at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Passau (five organs, one console), it is really two separate organs playing from twin consoles. A Skinner organ, built in 1931, is in the front of the building and a Schlicker (of Buffalo, New York) in the rear balcony. Today the organs play some 20,000 pipes with five manuals, 346 ranks, 233 registers, and 265 stops although it is continually being enlarged.[7][8] Current caretaker/technician- Scott Clowes 2010–present.[9] Recordings of this instrument appear on Telarc and Delos labels.
Media[]
The church has been a popular location for commercials, films, music videos, and television shows.[10][11]
Commercials[]
| Company | Commercial | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Kia | 1999 | |
| Men's Wearhouse | "New Suit" | 2004 |
| Microsoft | 2005 |
Film[]
| Movie | Year |
|---|---|
| Dragonfly | 2002 |
| Mr. Deeds | 2002 |
| Daredevil | 2003 |
| Along Came Polly | 2004 |
| Spider-Man 2 | 2004 |
| NationalTreasure | 2004 |
| Blood & Chocolate | 2007 |
| Into the Wild | 2007 |
| Nancy Drew | 2007 |
Music Videos[]
| Artist | Song | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Gerald Levert | "Taking Everything" | 1998 |
| Nas | "Got Ur Self a Gun" | 2001 |
| DMX | "I Miss You" | 2001 |
| Linkin Park | "Numb" | 2003 |
Television[]
| Show | Episode | Date |
|---|---|---|
| The A-Team | "A Little Town With an Accent" | May 6, 1986 |
| My So-Called Life | "So-Called Angels" | December 22, 1994 |
| Any Day Now | 1998 | |
| Profiler | 1998 | |
| Seven Days | 1998 | |
| Vengeance Unlimited | 1998 | |
| To Have & to Hold | "Pilot" | September 30, 1998 |
| Locust Valley | "Pilot" | 1999 |
| The X-Files | "Milagro" | April 18, 1999 |
| Ugly Betty | "A Nice Day for a Posh Wedding" | November 8, 2007 |
References[]
- ^ "Our Staff". fccla.org. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ "UCC Southern Conference Fall Meeting". fccla.org. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ Clifton L. Holland. "An Overview of Religion in Los Angeles from 1850 to 1930".
- ^ Richardson, Eric (11 July 2008). "Downtown's Churches: First Congregational". Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "First Congregational Church of Los Angeles". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Los Angeles Department of City Planning. "Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) List". Office of Historic Resources. City of Los Angeles. p. 26. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.fccla.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.fccla.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Theatreorgans.com, The World's Largest Pipe Organs
- ^ Lindsay. "The First Congregational Church of Los Angeles from "My So-Called Life"". iamnotastalker.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Filming". Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- Churches in Los Angeles
- Allison & Allison buildings