{"nrhp_refnum":"07001176","name":"South Berkeley Community Church","other_names":["Park Congregational Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1802 Fairview St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Berkeley","county":"Alameda County","state":"CA","lat":37.85049261900008,"lon":-122.27248884599999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-11-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small Mission Revival church building at the corner of Fairview and Ellis Streets in Berkeley, California, designed in 1912 by architect Hugo W. Storch and originally built as Park Congregational Church.","why_significant":"The church is argued to be significant locally for its association with integration in Berkeley during the World War II period, and for its architecture as a good example of Mission Revival style. Its design blends Mission Revival exterior features with an Arts and Crafts natural-wood interior. The form states that significance rests on historical and architectural grounds, not religious doctrine.","narrative":"Standing on a corner lot at Fairview and Ellis Streets in Berkeley's South Berkeley Lorin District, this wood-frame, stucco-covered church was designed in 1912 by Hugo W. Storch for the Park Congregational Church. William Livingston was the contractor. Its Mission Revival features include a squat corner bell tower, curved parapets, rafter tails and buttresses, all scaled to blend with nearby Victorian and Colonial Revival houses. Inside, unpainted natural wood, exposed trusses, semi-circular pews and roll-down doors link the sanctuary to a semi-circular social hall and Sunday school rooms in an Arts and Crafts manner. The bell is still rung before Sunday services. The church is recognized for its role in integration in Berkeley during World War II and for its architectural quality. The main alteration is a 1960 stained glass window replacing two Gothic windows. Structural deterioration is noted, though the building remains in heavy use.","period_of_significance":"1912-1943","architect_builder":"Storch, Hugo W.; contractor William Livingston","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals - Mission Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in heavy use as a church, but with dry rot, termite evidence and drainage problems; a restoration plan is described as needed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.529993-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/07001176.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07001176/a42bdb88d5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07001176/a42bdb88d5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Berkeley_Community_Church_(Berkeley,_CA).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Berkeley_Community_Church_(Berkeley,_CA).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858339","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Berkeley_Community_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7566321"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/alameda-county/south-berkeley-community-church-07001176/"}