Quake-Vulnerable Church in San Pedro Caught Between Rebuilding, Preservation

Fortress-like, with broad stained-glass windows and thick Roman columns, the First Baptist Church of San Pedro has been an imposing presence in this seaside community for 68 years.

But the building does not meet earthquake safety standards, city officials say. And so, the congregation has had to formulate a plan for the future.

An architect’s model of that vision is displayed at the church: a new First Baptist, L-shaped and modern, with pale stucco walls, a red tile roof and a parking lot where the massive old sanctuary now stands.

Wilson Dean Blackwelder, chairman of the church building committee, sums up the choice this way: “It’s sort of like you have an old car and you have to make a trade-off. How much is it worth it to put (money) into the old car, or put that into a new car? I’m convinced the best use of our resources would be to go toward new construction.”

Around the corner from the First Baptist Church, Gary Larson sits at an elegant parquet-top desk in the newly-renovated Arcade Building. Larson is part owner of the Arcade, with its antique brass fixtures, glass doorknobs, and forest-green wrought-iron railings.

Larson is not a church member. He is a preservationist. And he thinks tearing down the old First Baptist is “a gross, misconceived idea.”

Wins 1st Round

Last month--just three weeks before the church was to break ground on its $473,000 project--Larson took his case to Los Angeles City Hall. On Wednesday, he won the first round: The city Cultural Heritage Commission recommended that the First Baptist Church of San Pedro be declared a historic landmark.

To the dismay of the First Baptist congregation, that vote could save their old building.

“People go to Europe and spend tens of thousands of dollars to see nothing but old historical architecture, and particularly churches,” Larson told the commission Wednesday. “I have come to the conclusion that I have as much of a claim on their building as they do.”

At the very least, the vote has delayed the congregation’s plans.

The matter must now go to the City Council, which has the authority to designate landmarks. Harbor area Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, whose vote will be a key factor in the decision, has not taken a stand. But an aide said she is leaning toward the views of the congregation, whose most recent vote, last Sunday, was 22 to 12 in favor of a new building.

“In this case it wasn’t even a member of the church who filed, it was an outsider,” said Flores aide Diane Sallee. “The church has spent money on architectural plans, and now they’re being faced with a situation where they can’t go forward.”

If the council approves the historic designation, city law will protect the building from demolition for a year. During that time, the preservationists must come up with an alternate plan for the landmark--one that is acceptable to its owners.

If no alternate plan is offered, or the owners don’t agree, then the landmark can come down if city officials find that razing it does not harm the environment. The environmental assessment could consider quality of life and historic values, said Mark Brown, who handles cultural issues for the city attorney’s office.

Blackwelder said church officials are willing to negotiate with Larson, who is supported by the San Pedro Bay Historical Society and a minority of the church’s 64 active members.

But he said he intends to pursue the majority’s plan for a new building.

“The church has spiritual goals that go beyond merely the preservation of our building,” Blackwelder told the commission. “Our principal job is not the mending of physical structures. You might say it is the mending of the spiritual side of individuals--saving souls and saving lives.”

Plans for the new First Baptist Church have been in the works for nearly five years. The church, at 555 West 7th St., was notified in December, 1982, that it did not meet the city’s seismic code. The time alloted for the church to meet city standards has long since elapsed, but the city has allowed the congregation to continue using the building. The most recent extension expires Jan. 1.

Although it appears to be made of stone, the church is unreinforced brick with a smooth stucco facade. In 1983, Blackwelder said, the congregation looked into reinforcing the church to meet earthquake regulations but concluded that it would rather raze the building and put up a new one. The vote then was 23 to 8.

Plans call for construction of a sanctuary on what is now a church parking lot. The old sanctuary would be leveled after the new one is built. Blackwelder said the Sunday school and administrative offices--which are housed in an earthquake-safe portion of the old church--will be renovated.

Blackwelder said the benefits of the project include modern bathrooms, a bigger foyer, a bigger stage and a street-level sanctuary that will offer easy access for people who now have to climb stairs.

In March, the congregation launched a vigorous fund drive, “Trusting Christ to Build His Church.” It netted $128,000 in pledges and contributions, $58,000 of which has been spent for architectural fees.

On Sept. 21--six days before the ground breaking--First Baptist learned that Larson had filed his landmark petition. The notice arrived as the builder was on his way to meet church members.

“We were just sort of dumbfounded,” Blackwelder said. The construction plans came to a halt.

Larson contends that the building could be reinforced and renovated--including new bathrooms, wiring, plumbing and whatever else is necessary--for less than the congregation will spend on its project.

“I’ve got commercial renovation magazines that talk about jobs all over the country,” he said, “and the bottom line is it’s less expensive to renovate than to build new.”

But on the matter of money, Larson and Blackwelder disagree sharply.

For the seismic renovations alone, their estimates are $190,000 apart. Larson, who asked his own earthquake contractor to look at the church, said reinforcing the building to meet the city’s seismic code would cost about $110,000. Blackwelder said his contractor’s estimate is $300,000.

Larson said new technology is bringing the cost of earthquake renovations down. For $300,000, he said, the church could meet seismic standards and be completely renovated. Blackwelder said such a rehabilitation would cost more than $400,000.

Blackwelder conceded that the $473,000 the congregation plans to spend--to build the new sanctuary, refurbish the school and offices and demolish the old church--would exceed the cost of what Larson proposes.

But, Blackwelder said, the project would be done in stages and cost less in the short term. And because the congregation has already spent so much on architect’s fees, he thinks it is too late to turn back.

Larson doesn’t buy any of those arguments.

“I have proved that (renovation) can be economically feasible,” he said of the Arcade, which dates from the 1920s. “This building, aesthetically, is old. Functionally, it’s new . . . . They can have anything they want. You don’t have to have a dingy old building. You don’t destroy a whole building to get a new bathroom.”