The First Congregational Church of Long Beach — a 109-year-old house of worship at 241 Cedar Ave — has been recognized by the state for its commitment to historical preservation and efforts to keep the state’s heritage alive.
The church was named one of only five recipients of the Governor’s Historic Preservation Awards, which are sponsored by the California Office of Historic Preservation. The honor recognizes meaningful achievements in preservation through public awareness, appreciation, and support for history throughout the state, according to the OHP’s website.
“It recognizes a broad array of preservation activities, from building rehabilitation to archaeology, interpretation, and preservation planning,” the Governor’s Awards website said. “Since 1986, more than two hundred organizations, individuals, and agencies have been recognized for their outstanding work throughout the state on behalf of preservation.”
But this year marks the first that a Long Beach organization has achieved the honor, according to a news release from last week.
“From its drop-in center for the unhoused to its work with youth, and its justice-oriented Landmark Theatre Company,” the church said in the Thursday, March 2, announcement, “First Church has fulfilled what its founder Margaret Bixby said of it: ‘Designed for worship, but built for service.’”
The Romanesque Revival Church was built in 1914 and given local landmark status by Long Beach in 1977 — and was later placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It’s undergone a series of upgrades over its lifetime, including earthquake repairs in 1931 and major retrofitting in the 1980s. In 2001, the church constructed Pilgrim Hall, an expansion of the campus used for education and community meetings.
More recently, the church completed a $2.4 million project that restored its century-old brick and terracotta masonry, alongside repairs of its rose stained-glass windows.
“From its 1988 earthquake retrofitting project to the more recent restoration of one of its enormous and glorious rose windows, the congregation has worked with pride to care for this architectural treasure,” the church’s announcement said. “That care has never been separated from the use of the building as a resource, a venue for arts, and a home for social justice and the progressive values that have been a part of its purpose since its founding.”
The award will be presented at 1 p.m. March 30 at the Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building in Sacramento. The event will be live streamed on the OHP’s Facebook and YouTube channels.