Bardsdale Methodist Episcopal Church

Infobox_nrhp | name =Bardsdale Methodist Episcopal Church
nrhp_type =


caption =
location= 1418 Bardsdale Ave., Bardsdale, California
lat_degrees = 34
lat_minutes = 22
lat_seconds = 17
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 118
long_minutes = 55
long_seconds = 55
long_direction = W
locmapin = California
area =
built =1898
architect= Unknown
architecture= Other, Gothic Revival
added = August 28, 1986
governing_body = Private
refnum=86001986cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2008-04-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

Bardsdale Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church located in the unincorporated community of Bardsdale, California, near Fillmore along the Santa Clara River. The carpenter Gothic church with a 60-foot bell tower and high-peaked arches was built in 1898 and has long been a center of community life in Bardsdale. The town's founder, Thomas Bard, donated the land for construction of the church and parsonage and also donated funds to help purchase two large stained-glass windows installed in the north and west walls. When the church opened in April 1898, the "Los Angeles Times" reported on its dedication:

"The Bardsdale Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated last Sunday by Dr. G.W. White of Los Angeles. The building cost $2550, will seat 350 persons, and has a fine basement fitted for social gatherings. There was $550 remaining due on the building, which was subscribed Sunday morning." [cite news|title=Ventura County|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=1898-04-17]

In 1982, a portion of the ceiling fell on a parishioner during a service, leading to extensive renovation work. The restoration and renovation work has also included materials purchased from a church in Los Angeles that closed in 1982. The materials salvaged from the Los Angeles church include stained-glass windows, oak chancel, chandeliers, pews, marble facing around the interior doors, a hand-carved pulpit, lectern and communion rail. The church also features a Schoenstein pipe organ that was purchased in 1986, with $60,000 donated by parishioners. In a tradition dating back to the mid-1960s, the Bardsdale Chancel Choir performs a free holiday vesper program during the Christmas season. [cite news|title=Ventura County Weekend; Holidays|publisher=Los Angeles Times (Ventura County Edition)|date=1995-12-14] The Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board declared the clapboard church a county landmark in 1978, calling it "the only example of carpenter Gothic in the Fillmore-Bardsdale area."cite news|author=Janet Bergamo|title=Landmarks: County Historical Sites; Bardsdale Church Anchors Community|publisher=Los Angeles Times (Ventura County Edition)|date=1991-02-08] The Gothic church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

ee also

* List of Registered Historic Places in Ventura County, California

References