St. John's Cathedral is an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

church near

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that serves as both a parish church and the

cathedral church A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the

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, an area covering five and a half counties. Though St. John's was formed in 1890, the current

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church was built in 1925. It was listed in the

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in 2000.

Early history

St. John's was founded in 1890. The ''

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'' reported on the groundbreaking ceremony in a front-page story:

Quite a large number of interested people assembled on foot and in carriages at the corner of Figueroa and Adams streets, at 4 p.m. yesterday, to witness the laying of the corner-stone of St. John's Episcopal Church. The clergy, in their vestments, preceded by the vestry of the parish, came on the grounds in procession, opening the service as they approached the building site. ... St. John's is to be a tasteful Gothic structure of brick, with stone facings, and wood, capable of seating 150 people. It is placed on the lot as to admit of the erection of a larger structure in the near future.

The original neo-Gothic church was consecrated in June 1894.

George Davidson

In 1913, George Davidson became rector of St. John's, a position he held until 1951. Davidson led the church during a period of growth, as membership rose from 400 to 2,300. He was also a member of the faculty at USC for 14 years, served as president of the

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(ASPCA), and was one of the first organizers of the city's Community Chest drives. When Davidson retired in 1951 at age 71, more than 1,000 people attended his final service at St. John's. At the time, he said, "In all humility, I express my gratitude. My prayers are for St. John's and may His blessing be upon all its loyal members who have raised its standard high. ... The joys and sorrows, the achievements and failures, the happiness and loneliness of many people during the years have been so woven into the fabric of my life that it is difficult for me to express adequately the mingling feelings of my heart in this solemn hour." Davidson died in July 1967 in Los Angeles.

New church building

Lawrence Carter's "metropolitan church"

From 1958 to 1974, the Rev. E. Lawrence Carter was the rector of St. John's. During his tenure, the surrounding area changed from one of white affluence to racially mixed poverty. "Carter led the church in changing with it, moving from an upper-level parish church controlled by businessmen to what he termed a ''metropolitan'' church welcoming leaders of many races and economic backgrounds." In 1973, Carter recalled: "There never was a mass exodus, a confrontation, nothing like that. Just a slow ebbing, a dilution socially, economically, racially." He described his concept of a "metropolitan church" as the need for an urban church "to do the social bit". He noted that "Mainline churches cannot be the church unless they pay attention to the community where they are. The church must be involved in all the areas of life." During his time as rector, Carter founded the St. John's Well Child Center and also worked to aid the homeless.

Doors closed as a protest to Vietnam War

Designation as procathedral

Rectors

* The Rev. H. O. Judd, May 6, 1890–May 1891 * The Rev. Benjamin Walter Rogers Tayler, December 13, 1891–April 17, 1903 * The Rev. Lawrence B. Ridgely, May 31, 1903–April 23, 1905 * The Rev. Lewis Grouverneur Morris, September 10, 1905–October 1912 * The Rev. George Davidson, April 1913–October 1, 1951 * The Rev. Ray Holder, December 1951–August 15, 1955 * The Rev. Robert Quayle Kennaugh, December 1955–1958 * The Rev. E. Lawrence Carter, 1958–1974 * The Rt. Rev. William D. Persell, 1973–1982 * The Rev. Warner Traynham, 1982?–2001 * The Very Rev. Mark Kowalewski, 2006–2022 * The Very Rev. Daniel Ade, 2010–2022 * The Rt. Rev. C. Franklin Brookhart Jr., Bishop-in-Charge 2022-2023 * The Very Rev. Anne Sawyer, interim dean, February 2023

External links

St. John's Episcopal Church website

Cathedrals of California

"The making of a cathedral: an interview with Fr. Mark
, ''St. John's Cathedral News'', December 2007.
Image of St. John's Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, California, circa 1925-1939.

Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections,

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University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Cathedral, Los Angeles Cathedrals in Los Angeles Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles Episcopal church buildings in California John Los Angeles Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles Christian organizations established in 1890 1890 establishments in California 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Churches completed in 1890 1890s architecture in the United States Romanesque Revival church buildings in California Episcopal church buildings in Los Angeles