Church History

Preparations to organize the First Presbyterian Church of Alameda began in 1864 when all Protestants residing in hamlets of the Oakland peninsula known now as Alameda attended the Methodist church. By 1865, the Presbyterian Church had 12 charter members that were meeting in the schoolhouse, having paid their "rent" by purchasing a bell for the school. In 1867 Rev. Nash was installed as the first "non-traveling" pastor.

Under Rev. Nash’s leadership, the purchase of land and erection of the first sanctuary building, then located at the current corner of Central and Versailles Avenues, was accomplished. The new church was dedicated on March 8, 1869 and the congregation grew quickly. A Sunday School building was added and soon as many as sixty children received their Christian education in the building. A parsonage was built nearby on Versailles to house a succession of pastors who led the congregation.

By 1883, the church membership had outgrown the original sanctuary building. The city’s population center was expanding towards the western end of the peninsula and the sandy roads made travel difficult for new members to attend. These factors motivated the congregation members to begin raising funds to purchase land and build a new sanctuary in a more central location.

Nearly 20 years later, land was purchased at what is now the corner of Santa Clara and Chestnut. Congregation member Henry H. Meyers, a prominent local architect, designed the new sanctuary building. Mr. Meyers had been part of the design team to create the plans for the Alameda City Hall built in 1895 and the Carnegie Library in 1902. Meyers chose a Grecian design that followed the design of Kings Chapel in Boston, Old Trinity of New York City and similar buildings in Paris. He fashioned the side elevations similar to the Boston Public Library. Rev. Frank Brush, having traveled to Italy, was instrumental in the inclusion of the beautiful stained glass windows similar to the ones he had seen in Italy.

Under the direction of Mr. A. J. Burgner, an Elder and Trustee as well as a prominent local builder, the cornerstone was laid in September of 1903. The completed sanctuary was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1904. The beautiful sanctuary has been in continuous use since for social, cultural, and religious purposes. In 1977 the City of Alameda declared it an Alameda Historical Monument.

In preparation of the sanctuary¹s centennial, the exterior of the sanctuary was painted and the stained glass windows were cleaned and repaired by the congregation in 2003. Partial funding provided by PROPOSITION 12 California Heritage Fund Grant Program was used to restore the church facade.

Centennial celebrations were held at the beginning of September 2003 and culminating in a time capsule ceremony on Easter Sunday 2004.  Extensive interior renovations were completed in 2005.