Grace Episcopal Church
Also known as: First Church of Christ Scientist,Boulder Creek; San Lorenzo Valley Museum; P-44-000146
Why it's listed
Grace Episcopal Church is a modest redwood church on Highway 9 in Boulder Creek, built in 1906 for a Grace Mission congregation. Lay reader Arthur Darwall and his son are credited with building it. The rectangular gabled building has an entrance portico, lancet windows with curved mullions, gothic arched double doors and an interior of exposed redwood with scissor trusses and a vaulted ceiling. Its design follows English Gothic Revival ideas using local materials. The Episcopal congregation consolidated with St. Andrews in Ben Lomond around 1915, and the Christian Science Society bought the building in 1923. The Boulder Creek Historical Society acquired it in 1995 to house the San Lorenzo Valley Museum. Other early churches in town were burned or demolished, leaving this as the oldest surviving church building in Boulder Creek. It was recognized for its architecture, its redwood construction and its largely intact original fabric, including windows, hardware and floor plan.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a good local example of religious vernacular architecture with late Gothic Revival elements, built from local redwood and retaining its original materials. It is also the oldest surviving church building in Boulder Creek and appears to be the oldest surviving Christian Science church building in Santa Cruz County.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 06001158, listed December 19, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 12547 CA 9, Boulder Creek |
|---|---|
| County | Santa Cruz County |
| Listed | December 19, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06001158 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1906-1923 |
| Architect / builder | Arthur William Wolfston Darwall and his son Arthur Leicester Darwall (credited with construction) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Second Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now used as a museum (San Lorenzo Valley Museum) with the interior described as having remarkably high integrity; roof replaced in 2005. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 37.11649, -122.12087 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 06001158.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5591108
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.