Our Lady of the Wayside Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Our Lady of the Wayside Church |
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1975 photograph documentation by Jack E. Boucher of Historic American Buildings Survey
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival |
| Town or city | Portola Valley, California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 37°23′02″N 122°14′02″W / 37.3839°N 122.2338°W |
| Construction started | 1912 |
| Completed | 1912 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Timothy L. Pflueger |
| Designated: | 1977 |
| Reference #: | 77000338 |
| Designated: | 1977 |
| Reference #: | 909 |
Our Lady of the Wayside Church is a special building in Portola Valley, California. It was built in 1912 as a Catholic church. What makes it unique is that people from different faiths – Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic – worked together to build it. They were all members of a men's club from San Francisco called The Family. This church is known for its beautiful design and its history as a community effort.
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A Special Church in Portola Valley
The church building was made from strong, steel-reinforced concrete. It has a smooth outer finish. Its design style is called "Mission Revival." This style looks like the old Spanish missions found in California.
How the Church Was Built
The church has a tiled roof with the ends of the wooden beams showing. It also features round-arched windows and strong, supportive walls on its sides. The main entrance has a special design called "Georgian." This includes a fancy, curved decoration above the doorway.
A Young Architect's First Project
James Rupert Miller, an architect and a member of The Family club, gave the job of designing the church to a young person working at his firm. This person was Timothy L. Pflueger. He was only 19 years old when he designed Our Lady of the Wayside Church. It was his very first big project! Pflueger got ideas for the church from Mission San Francisco de Asís in his hometown of San Francisco.
A Historic Landmark
In 1977, Our Lady of the Wayside Church became a very important historical site. A special plaque was placed there. It was named a "California Registered Historical Landmark" number 909. This means it's a special place in California's history. In the same year, the church was also added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of places across the United States that are important to history.
Surviving an Earthquake
The historic church faced a big challenge in 1989. It was badly damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Experts who looked at the building thought it should be torn down because of the damage. However, the church's community decided to repair it instead. They spent about US$600,000 to fix the church. This shows how much the building meant to them.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Camino para niños
