First Baptist Church of Ventura, Mayan Revival church in Ventura, United States
The First Baptist Church of Ventura is a church at 101 S. Laurel Street in Ventura, California, built in 1926 and extensively renovated in 1932 into the Mayan Revival style by architect Robert B. Stacy-Judd of Los Angeles. Its exterior shows stepped pyramidal forms and geometric stone ornament across the facade and walls.
The First Baptist Church of Ventura was built in 1926 and extensively renovated in 1932 by Los Angeles architect Robert B. Stacy-Judd, who recast it in the Mayan Revival style. The City of Ventura declared it a landmark in 1975, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Since 1952 the building has housed the Ventura Center for Spiritual Living.
The church shows how early 20th-century architects drew from ancient American cultures and wove those design ideas into modern buildings. The style reflects the era's fascination with historical civilizations and their visual language.
The church is located on South Laurel Street and welcomes visitors interested in exploring its architecture. The building rewards careful observation of its exterior details and stonework from different angles.
The National Register nomination calls it a rare, essentially unaltered example of Mayan Revival design by Robert Stacy-Judd, the style's most widely recognized proponent. Since 1952 the former Baptist church has housed the Ventura Center for Spiritual Living.
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