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Historic Name

Upland Bretheren in Christ Church

Address

611 N 3rd Avenue
Upland, CA 91786

Evaluation

Building
4/30/2007

Construction Date

1925

Current Owner

Upland Masonic building Association

Current Owner Address

611 North Third Avenue
Upland, CA 91786

Description

This church-turned-clubhouse displays the vernacular styling typical of brick commercial and industrial buildings in the first quarter of the century. The two-story-plus-basement structure sits on a raised cobblestone foundation. Its facade is dominated by a stepped parapet, behind which the roof is gabled. One-story wings on either side appear to have flat roofs. Brick corbeling marks the roofline. The central focus of the facade is reiterated by an arched entry, approached by a flight of stairs with cobblestone stair walls. Courses of soldier bricks create the arch, to which a keystone with the Masonic logo has been attached. The doorway is recessed and does not appear to be original. Fenestration consists of mostly double-hung sash windows, regularly spaced. Basement windows have been re-glazed and have lintels of vertically laid stones. Another entry, also arched, is located at the head of a flight of stairs near the west end of the south elevation. Substantially unaltered, the bascilica-type building is in good condition.

The Upland Brethren Church in Christ church was organized in 1901 by the Rev. Christian C. Burkholder, newly arrived from Arizona. A carpenter by profession, Burkholder built the congregation's first church at the corner of Third Avenue and F Street sometime between 1904 and 1907. Previously church meetings had been held in a tent on the southwest corner of Second and F. The 1907 Sanborn illustrates a one-story frame structure, 14 feet to the eaveline, with a porch on the south. By 1912 the building had grown to one-and-one-half stories, with a bay on the north suggestive of an altar. The present masonry structure appears on the 1928 map. It was home to the congregation until the late 1950s, witnessing the 25 year pastorate of C.C. Burkholder and 14 years of son Alvin's ministry. Beulah College (later Upland College) was founded by the senior Burkholder at this site in 1920.

It remained in this location until 1939 when the old San Antonio Hospital was adapted for the purpose. In 1960 the Upland Masonic Lodge #417 moved into the former church. The Masons have been in Upland for most of this century, meeting in earlier years at the Oddfellows Hall and at 250 Second Avenue. Significant for its associations with the Brethren Church and the Masons and for its architectural style and integrity, the Brethren Church building has been an important feature of the social and religious life of the community for at least sixty years.