Immanuel Presbyterian Church (Los Angeles, California)
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| Immanuel Presbyterian Church | |
|---|---|
 Immanuel Presbyterian Church in 1987 | |
 | |
| 34°03′41″N 118°17′40″W / 34.06145°N 118.2945°W | |
| Location | 3300 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Presbyterian Church (USA) |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 743 |
| Designated | February 4, 2003 |
| Architect(s) | Chauncey Fitch Skilling |
| Style | French Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1929 |
| Specifications | |
| Height | 205 ft (62 m) (tower) |
Immanuel Presbyterian Church is a church in Los Angeles, California. The congregation was established in 1888 in downtown Los Angeles as a spinoff from the existing First Presbyterian Church, also then located in downtown.[1] The church's current building was completed in 1929, and is located on Wilshire Boulevard in what is now the Koreatown district of Los Angeles. The church was listed as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument on February 4, 2003.[2]
The church was designed by Los Angeles architect Chauncey Fitch Skilling, in what architectural critic Sam Hall Kaplan described as "a splendid example of the soaring French Gothic Revival style, with an exterior marked by a stained-glass rose window above the entry and an interior of beam trusses, columns and arches, a carved wood pulpit, chandeliers and oak furnishings."[3] The building is distinguished by its 205 foot tall corner tower and traditionally-decorated stained glass made by the Dixon Art Glass company, as well as more contemporary glass designs from Judson Studios.[4]
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Ministry
The current church building is one of the very large churches that were erected along Wilshire Boulevard in the 1920s to serve their largely wealthy, overwhelmingly white congregations. At its peak in 1943, Immanuel Presbyterian had 4,300 members making use of its 200 rooms, athletic facilities, art and performance studios, seven meeting halls, kitchen, dining room, and 2,000-seat sanctuary. William S. Meyer, who was pastor of the church from 1950 until his retirement in 1974, was credited with keeping membership around the 4,000 level during his tenure, even as other nearby churches declined in the wake of neighborhood changes,[5] but by 1987 membership had fallen to about 800.[6] The church has continued its efforts to address the diverse and changing nature of its neighborhood; for example, Frank Alton, who was pastor from 1995 to 2010, drew attention for his willingness in 2001 to allow a Salvadoran Catholic group to display a life-size statue of Jesus at the church, despite the traditional Presbyterian aversion to religious icons.[7] Immanuel initiated worship services in Spanish in 1995,[8] and later was noted for its pioneering efforts in conducting bilingual services, rather than separate services for each language group in the congregation.[9]
In 1908, Dr. Hugh K. Walker of Immanuel Presbyterian Church gave the dedication sermon for Westminster Presbyterian Church (Los Angeles), believed to be the first African American Presbyterian congregation on the West Coast, according to the Los Angeles Times.[10]