Overview

Emmanuel Episcopal Church was one of the earliest Episcopal churches in CA, completed in 1858. The Trinity Church congregation in San Francisco, however, erected at least two houses of worship earlier, in 1849 and 1852. Nevertheless, this Gothic Revival building has been in continuous use since its completion, likely the oldest to have this distinction.

Building History

A brief notice in the Grass Valley Telegraphnewspaper of 08/29/1857 reported: “The work has already commenced on the new Episcopal church for this place. Workmen are now engaged upon the foundation, and the carpenters are making preparations for a vigorous prosecution of the work of rearing the superstructure. It is to be built in a style purely gothic, and will be superior to any church edifice in the mountains.” (See “Commenced,” Grass Valley Telegraph, 08/29/1857, p. 4. See Jim Thunder, Gothic-Calif Survey — PART 1, Chronicling America 04/2021–rev. 02/2023, [manuscript of notes and clippings], p. 3. Manuscript sent from Mr. Thunder to the author on 03/02/2023. Many thanks to him for his diligent survey of early Gothic architecture in California.) Work on Emmanuel Episcopal was finished in 1858.

PCAD id: 24854