St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel

Infobox_nrhp | name =St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel
nrhp_type =


caption =
location= 130 W. Ojai Ave., Ojai, California
lat_degrees = 34
lat_minutes = 26
lat_seconds = 53
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 119
long_minutes = 14
long_seconds = 49
long_direction = W
locmapin = California
area =
built =1918
architect= Requa, Richard; Mead, Frank
architecture= Mission/Spanish Revival
added = June 29, 1995
governing_body = Local
refnum=95000785cite 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]

St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel is a Mission Revival chapel located in Ojai, California. Designed by San Diego architects, Richard Requa and Frank Mead, it was built in 1918 after Ojai's original wooden Catholic church was destroyed by fire.cite news|author=Andrew Blechman|title=Ojai: Chapel May Be Registered as Historic Site|publisher=Los Angeles Times (Ventura West Edition)|date=1995-06-01] Requa also designed Ojai's downtown Arcade and watchtower in the early 20th Century.cite news|author=Jeff McDonald|title=Aging Chapel Will Remain City Landmark Ojai: Council approves study to assess renovations needed to house museum and Chamber of Commerce at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic church|publisher=Los Angeles Times (Ventura West Edition)|date=1993-11-11] In 1963, the parish outgrew the downtown facility and moved to Meiners Oaks. By the early 1990s, the old chapel was described as "cracked and crumbling to its foundation, temporarily locked behind a rented chain-link fence." In 1990, church officials considered demolishing the chapel and selling the land, but preservationists and city officials sought funding to save it. In 1992, the church sold the original chapel and parish hall to the City of Ojai for $385,000. The city planned to renovate the facilities for use by the Ojai Valley Museum, the Ojai Valley Historical Society and the Ojai Chamber of Commerce.cite news|author=Jan Stevens|title=Ojai: Aquinas Church to Hold Special Mass|publisher=Los Angeles Times (Ventura West Edition)|date=1995-01-23] The chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

ee also

* List of Registered Historic Places in Ventura County, California

References