Old North Church (Sierra Madre, California)


Old North Church is in Sierra Madre, California and is a historic landmark building built in 1890, one of the oldest churches and buildings in Sierra Madre. The Old North Church is owned by it builder Sierra Madre Congregational Church, called First Congregational Church of Sierra Madre at the time of completion. It is site #45 on Sierra Madre designated historical landmarks list. There are forty-eight properties listed on Sierra Madre's Designated Historical Properties List. In September of 2018 Sierra Madre Congregational Church changed its name to Christ Church Sierra Madre.

History

The Old North Church was constructed by hand with local wood. It is located on the north side of the current Sierra Madre Blvd at Hermosa. In 1890 Sierra Madre Blvd was a dirt street called Central Avenue. Old North Church is currently owned by its builder, Sierra Madre Congregational Church. The Old North Church is closely linked with the early settlement of Sierra Madre. The community of Sierra Madre was established in the fall of 1881. Sierra Madre Congregational Church started as a Sunday School class in February 1882. Without a building of its own, the church originally met in the city's original 1882 one-room schoolhouse at the corner of Hermosa and Live Oak, now called Orange Grove. To use the schoolhouse as a church on Sunday mornings, the pump organ, hymnbooks, and winter firewood were transported to the schoolhouse by the attendees. The following years the Church met in the original City Hall at the corner Baldwin and Central Ave, then the original city library, located at the current library site. With the completion of the Old North Church in 1890, the church had its own meeting spot. Congregational Church of Sierra Madre was officially established on March 27, 1886 as a nondenominational church congregational church, with 13 founding members, called First Congregational Church of Sierra Madre then. One of the 13 founding members was Mrs. Annetta M. Carter, wife of the city founder Nathaniel Coburn Carter. From 1908 to 1910 the Old North Church was expanded with the addition of new meeting rooms.
The Church's second, and current, main building was built across the street. Construction of the new building started in 1926 with Pritchard Hall and was completed in 1928 with the new sanctuary dedicated on June 17, 1928. The sanctuary cornerstone was laid on Feb. 19, 1928. The 1928 Church building is also a Sierra Madre designated historical landmark, as site #39. Having outgrown the Old North Church in the mid 1920s, the Congregational Church of Sierra Madre built a new stone Church in a Romanesque Revival architecture style, designed by Marsh, Smith, & Powell. Later after the move, the Old North Church was rented to the First Church of the Nazarene in 1939, then purchased by them in 1942. After the Church of the Nazarene outgrew the Old North Church, it was sold back to Sierra Madre Congregational Church in 1976. Congregational Church purchased back the Old North Church for the use of its youth and children, its current role. Sierra Madre's Cub Scouts Pack 373, and some of Boy Scouts Troop 373, meetings are held in the Old North Church. Troop 373 was founded in the Old North Church in 1924. Cub Scouts Pack 373 was started in 1971. Troop 373 was one of the founders of the Sierra Madre Fourth of July parade that then ran from historic Sierra Madre Memorial Park to historic Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery.
The Old North Church survived the 1991 Sierra Madre earthquake relatively undamaged. The 1928 building had damage to the bell tower, which was torn down brick by brick and rebuilt. The original ONC bell tower was built with a barn shaped roof, modeled after a Dutch church in Holland. Later the Church of the Nazarene changed the bell tower to have a more classic pointed spire. The bell tower housed the 1893 bell weighing 517 pounds, in 1928 the bell was moved to the new south bell tower.
In 1890 Old North Church attendees had to walk, ride a horse or ride in a horse buggy. In January 1906 the Pacific Electric street car was installed and rolled in front of the Old North Church, on the Sierra Madre line, each day from January 1, 1906 till service ended on October 6, 1950.
Mrs. Annetta M. Carter, wife of Nathaniel Coburn Carter, was key founder of Sierra Madre Congregational Church.Nathaniel and Annetta married in Feb. of 1864 and had 5 children: Florence, ; Arthur N., Julia F., Anita E. and Phillip C. Annetta M. Pierce and Nathaniel both were natives of Lowell, Massachusetts, Nathaniel came to California for his health in 1871. In February 1881, Nathaniel Carter purchased the original 1103 acres that comprised the new city of Sierra Madre. The land was acquired in three purchases: 845 acres of Rancho Santa Anita from Lucky Baldwin, 108 acres from the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and 150 acres from John Richardson. With no church in the new small town Annetta Carter helped form the worship group in 1882 that became Sierra Madre Congregational Church. The ONC bell was made and installed in 1893, and has the quote on it "Let him who hears come." made by Meneely Bell Foundry, Troy, NY. The bell was presented to the Church by Mr. A. S. Bixby, from Bixby Knolls, Long Beach. The bell was used for Sunday services and funerals, but also had a civic duty, to alert the all-volunteer Fire Department.
The original 1904 Pastor's parsonage house was on the north side of Central Avenue, but as the city grew the house was now on a busy street, so in 1923 the parsonage was moved to Hermosa, just south of the main SMCC building.
Just to the west of the Old North Church are two other historic buildings: a 1919 Old Mortuary and the 1915 Caretaker American Craftsman home. Both structures were purchased by SMCC in 1986.
The 1928 sanctuary has stained glass windows that were given as memorials. The north side of the sanctuary has Apostles windows and on the south side are Prophets windows. The sanctuary east and west walls have two large windows, the east an Angel window with the verse "Glory to God in the Highest." and the circular west window is "Christ the Teacher," that was given by the Women's Society and dedicated all the children of Sierra Madre. The lower south widows were a gift from Dick and Dotty Anderson in 2008. Memorial chimes were installed in 1944 in to the tower, these played for many years on the hour.
In 1971 Sierra Madre Congregational Church and Bethany Church started the Sierra Madre Christmas Candlelight Walk. The first Candlelight Procession was led by Pastor Bob Vander Zaag of Bethany Church and Rev. Richard Anderson of Sierra Madre Congregational Church.
In September of 2018 Sierra Madre Congregational Church changed its name to Christ Church Sierra Madre.

Notable pastors