The First Unitarian Church, nicknamed "Starr King's church", is a church structure built in 1889 and is located at 1187 Franklin Street at Geary Street in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood, San Francisco, California.

History

The Unitarians built their first San Francisco Church in 1853 at 805 Stockton Street. When the congregation outgrew the first building within a decade, a new church was built on Union Square at 133 Geary Street, under clergyman

Thomas Starr King Thomas Starr King (December 17, 1824 – March 4, 1864), often known as Starr King, was an American Universalist and Unitarian minister, influential in California politics during the American Civil War, and Freemason. Starr King spoke z ...

, who was instrumental in advocating for California to join the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. Thomas Starr King died in 1864 and his sarcophagus still remains is on the grounds of the church. In 1889, the church was moved to 1187 Franklin Street, its current location. The building was designed by architects Percy & Hamilton in the

Richardson Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesq ...

-style. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the bell tower was rebuilt. Prominent members associated with the early days of the church in San Francisco were James Otis, Leland Stanford,

Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

Andrew Smith Hallidie Andrew Smith Hallidie (March 16, 1836 – April 24, 1900) was the promoter of the Clay Street Hill Railroad in San Francisco, USA. This was the world's first practical cable car system, and Hallidie is often therefore regarded as the inventor of ...

, and

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

. Later members of the congregation included

Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe (; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the " Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the original 1870 pacifist Mother's Day Proclamation. She was also an advocate for abolitionism ...

and

Edward Everett Hale Edward Everett Hale (April 3, 1822 – June 10, 1909) was an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister, best known for his writings such as " The Man Without a Country", published in '' Atlantic Monthly'', in support of the Union ...

. Other ministers after Starr King at this church included Horatio Stebbins (1821–1902) serving from 1864 to 1900;

Bradford Leavitt Rev. Edwin Bradford Leavitt (June 4, 1868 – October 21, 1959) was an American minister. He was a Harvard-educated Unitarian minister named pastor of San Francisco's First Unitarian Church in 1900 – six years before the San Francisco eart ...

(born 1868) serving from 1900 to 1949; Harry C. Meserve (1914–2000), serving from 1949 to 1957; and Harry Barron Scholefield (1914–2003) serving from 1957 to 1975.

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in San Francisco Churches completed in 1889 Unitarian Universalist churches in California Churches in San Francisco

History

See also

References