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Address

525 W 18th Street
Upland, CA 91786

Evaluation

Building
5/7/2007

Construction Date

1911

Current Owner

City of Upland

Current Owner Address

460 n Euclid ave
Upland, CA 91786

Description

The historic St. Marks Episcopal Church is a one-story wood frame structure influenced by the Shingle Style. A broad front gable spans the facade, anchored at the east end by a bell tower. Shingles sheathe the exterior above a stringcourse below which the building is clapboarded. A Palladian window, its three arches echoed by shingled archivolts, is centered on the facade. Two single windows, similarly detailed and proportioned, are located just above the stringcourse on either side. The stringcourse acts as an impost molding for the archways which pierce the lower level of the tower. On the east side of the tower the entry is announced by a steep, open gable hood over the archway. Additional arched openings pierce the upper level of the tower where the bell is suspended. A corbeled ledge adorns the aperture on the south. The tower is crowned by another gable.

The Episcopalian parish in Upland was organized in 1909 by dissident members of the Christ Church, Episcopal in Ontario. Meetings were held in the lodge hall over the Commercial ~ational Bank. In 1910 permission was received from the Los Angeles diocese to officially establish the church and a rector, the Rev. McConnell, was engaged. The young congregation numbered 75 members at the time. Plans for securing a site and erecting a church were put in motion. A double lot at the northeast corner of Euclid and F Street was secured. Apparently there was an early change of mind about who was to be the architect. The Los Anseles Builder and Contractor reported on May 12, 1910 that "Archt. Ridgeway of Upland, Cal., has drawn plans for the new St. Mark's Church to be erected at the corner of Euclid Ave. and F St.

According to the building footprint, the former church has a modified transept plan; the rear of the structure is screened by evergreens. Although the church has been moved, converted to museum use, and suffered a major fire, it has been restored. It sits on a new concrete foundation on a large property in upper Upland in good condition.

It will be Gothic in design, with plastered and half-timbered exterior and pine finish. The seating capacity will be about 300." Several months later, on January 26, 1911, the same publication included the following item: "Architect A.B. Benton, 114 North Spring Street, is preparing plans for a new church to be erected at ~ntario [sic] for St. Mark's Episcopal congregation. It will have concrete foundation and basement, plastered exterior and shingled roof. The cost will be about $5000." obviously some changes to the design were made and a shingled exterior substituted for a plastered one.

The choice of Arthur B. Benton as architect was not an unprecedented one. Benton designed a number of Episcopal sanctuaries in Los Angeles, Hollywood, and other cities. He was principally known, however, as a proponent of the Mission Revival style. His designs for Frank ~iller over a twenty year period for the Glenwood Mission Inn in Riverside brought Benton to the notice of an appreciative public. Other architectural achievements of the Kansas native included Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. buildings in Los Angeles, Pasadena, and ~iverside; the San ~abriel and Riverside ~unicipal Auditoriums; the ~rlington Hotel in Santa Barbara and the Arrowhead Springs Hotel near San ~ernardino; several schools; and numerous residences throughout Southern California. St. Mark's is the only example of Benton's work in Upland. Although the parish remains active in Upland, it vacated this building in the 1960s. The structure was moved to its present location in 1966, where it has become the Chaffey Communities Cultural Center. It has been designated a California Point of Interest. It is significant for its association with a preeminent architect of the time, Arthur B. Benton, for its architectural quality, and for its function for approximately 50 years as a parish church. While it no longer possesses integrity of siting, having changed from a town to a suburban setting, it retains its integrity of design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.