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 beautiful and historic church located in Portola Valley, California. It was built in 1912 for the local Catholic community. What makes its story special is that people from different faiths – Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic – all worked together to help build it. These people were members of a men's club from San Francisco called The Family.
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Church Design and Style
The church building is made from strong, steel-reinforced concrete with a stucco finish. It was designed in the Mission Revival style. This style was popular in California and was inspired by the old Spanish missions.
Key Architectural Features
Some of the cool features of the Mission Revival style you can see on the church include:
- A tiled roof with a pointed top, called a gable roof.
- Wooden beams, called rafters, that stick out from under the roof.
- Windows shaped like round arches.
- Thick walls, called buttresses, that help support the sides of the building.
The church also has a special main doorway with a fancy, scrolled top part, which is a feature from the Georgian style.
The Architect: Timothy L. Pflueger
The job of designing Our Lady of the Wayside Church was given to a young and talented draftsman named Timothy L. Pflueger. He was only 19 years old at the time, and this was his very first big project! Pflueger got his ideas for the church from a famous building he knew well: Mission San Francisco de Asís in his hometown of San Francisco.
Historic Recognition
Our Lady of the Wayside Church is recognized as an important historical site.
- In 1977, a special plaque was placed on the building. This plaque declared it a California Registered Historical Landmark, number 909.
- In the same year, the church was also added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes places across the United States that are important to the country's history.
Surviving the Earthquake
In 1989, a very strong earthquake, known as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, caused a lot of damage to the historic church. Some experts even suggested that the church should be torn down because of the damage. However, the people who attended the church decided to save it. They worked hard and raised money to repair the building, spending about $600,000 to bring it back to its original beauty.
