FULLERTON : A Fresh Start for Historic Church

Seated on a curved, hand-carved pew beside a one-of-a-kind stained glass window Wednesday, Phylicia Bernstein recounted the history of the city’s oldest church. “It all started in 1888, when a reverend came from Iowa to settle here and found no churches in Fullerton,” said Bernstein, a history buff who founded the church’s historical society. “In 1909, the Methodists built this church at a cost of $18,000.”

The building, described by a local newspaper in 1909 as “the most modern building in Orange County and possibly the most beautiful in Southern California,” has changed hands several times since then and has been owned since 1967 by the Church of Religious Science.

In 1987, the Whittier Narrows earthquake caused $350,000 worth of damage to the structure and forced the congregation to worship elsewhere. But after extensive repairs, the 86-year-old church will open Dec. 11 for public tours, led by Bernstein.

Unusual architectural details of the Gothic-style church include its exterior of handmade bricks and two 12-foot-tall stained glass windows that, amazingly, were not damaged by the quake. “They’re so priceless,” Bernstein said, “that we can’t even get them insured.”

Private donations, state grants and a city loan were used to repair and retrofit the building. Proceeds from the tour will help to pay off the $75,000 loan, Bernstein said. The 45-minute tours will cost $2 for adults and $1.50 for children over 5. Information: (714) 630-0519.