THE MUCH-LOVED PASADENA PLAYHOUSE -- HISTORIC LIVE PERFORMANCE VENUE FOR HOLLYWOOD FILM STARS AND THE OFFICIAL STATE THEATRE OF CALIFORNIA©

When the motion picture industry was in its infancy on the West Coast shortly after the 1900s commenced, and eventually primarily in the Los Angeles area, not only did the founding studio heads of Paramount, Columbia, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Universal and Warner Brothers who had previously emigrated from "across the pond" come from "back East" (New York) and "up North" (Canada), but also they enticed theatrical stage performers from Broadway and vaudeville  to come "out West" to appear in "the flickers" they were producing.

Those "flickers", the early motion pictures, were "silent" because the process of recording sound and synchronizing it on celluloid transparent film strips was not successful in a full-length feature film until 1929 in the  "The Jazz Singer" starring Al Jolson.  During the "Silent Era" of film production, the often-distinctive speaking and singing voices of stage actors and actresses could not be heard by audiences.

Prior to 1917, these "transplanted" theatrical stage actors literally had no "legitimate" stage venue in the Los Angeles area to practice their craft of performing plays for live audiences.  In 1917, however, the Pasadena Playhouse was founded -- just l0-miles east of Downtown Los Angeles -- in the upscale, bucolic tree-lined community of Pasadena, where the Wrigley Mansion and other grand houses graced Orange Grove Boulevard, and Rose Bowl Parade floats had begun passing along Colorado Boulevard on New Year's Day in 1902.

EARLY YEARS:1917-1925

First sharing performance space in a burlesque house, the Pasadena Community Playhouse, as the Pasadena Playhouse was originally named, was founded in 1917 by theater impresario Gilmor Brown.  Galvanizing a community largely made up of wealthy Easterners, Brown raised money from over 1,000 citizens in Pasadena to purchase land at 39 S. El Molino and in 1925 the current historically-landmarked theater opened its doors with national fanfare.  

The theatre building was designed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style by Pasadena artist and architect Elmer Grey, and had a fire curtain painted by Pasadena artist Alson S. Clark.  Its non-professional, community beginnings and the tremendous amount of local support for the project led George Bernard Shaw to dub the City of Pasadena as  "the Athens of the West".

The Playhouse drew national attention, bringing Southern California world premieres by authors such as Eugene O'Neill, William Saroyan, Noel Coward, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Tennessee Williams, as well as many English language premieres of significant Continental dramas.

Under Brown, The Pasadena Playhouse became internationally known and at one time, with a campus that took up almost a full square block, five stages, a scene shop and a theatre arts college, was one of the largest theatre complexes in the world.

THE THEATRE ARTS COLLEGE:  Established in 1927

At no time in its history was there more energy around The Playhouse than during the 40-plus years when the education of actors, directors, designers, technicians and playwrights took place at The Playhouse School of Theatre Arts (later College of Theatre Arts).  Begun in 1927, the College expanded quickly as young performers enrolled from across the country and hoped to break into the budding motion picture industry.  Eventually, considered second only in the country to Julliard, the College grew to 300 students, employed over 35 faculty, created a unique nexus of education and professional productions, and provided a pipeline of talent to the growing entertainment industry.

With degree programs in acting, directing, stage technology, playwriting, and theater administration, its three-year accredited training program offered BFA and MFA degrees and was housed in a literal “ivory tower” built in 1937 on the northwest side of the campus. The Playhouse College became one of the first schools in the nation to offer training and classes in “stage, screen, radio, and television”. 

Brown tried and created concepts in Pasadena that have become theatrical norms globally, including the enormously impactful “theatre-in-the-round” staging technique. Because of Brown’s audacity in producing the entire Shakespeare canon, a feat no other theater in America could claim, the state legislature unanimously voted The Pasadena Playhouse the Official State Theatre of California in 1937, a mere 20 years after its founding. 

THE STAR FACTORY:  1920's - 1960

During its “golden era” between 1920-1945, the Playhouse was dubbed the “Star Factory” due to the number of celebrities who were discovered on its stages. Each of the major film studios, which were themselves young upstart companies at the time, had scouts assigned to cover all the Playhouse productions. When the industry was transitioning from silent films to “talkies”, the studios had contracts with the Playhouse for their silent film stars to be taught voice and diction.  While Brown’s clairvoyance for talent led to the discovery of many notable actors, it also led to the development of playwrights, directors, and eventual entertainment industry giants who went on to establish the Los Angeles empire of film and television we know today.  Some of the Playhouse's former students, guest performers or resident company players include Raymond Burr, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Eleanor Parker, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Angela Bassett, Tyrone Power, Dana Andrews, Robert Preston, Gig Young, Carolyn Jones, Martha Hyer, Nick Nolte, Al Pacino, Leonard Nimoy, Finola Hughes and Sally Struthers, among others.  A few of these later-to-be-well-known performers, such as Dana Andrews, Eleanor Parker and Martha Hyer, were actually "discovered" by talent agents attending a stage production in which they were performing while they were students at the Playhouse!

Outside of showcasing talent, the Playhouse trailblazed techniques in radio, broadcasting live nationwide from the mainstage, and experimented with early television, establishing the first West Coast TV station in 1931, re-named KTLA in 1947 and still on-air.  Under Brown’s leadership, The Playhouse grew from a small troupe of players to a center for artistic innovation and activity, becoming a veritable talent funnel for the radio, television and film industry explosion that occurred in Los Angeles during the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.

GOING DARK:  1960-1986

In 1960 Gilmor Brown died and the Playhouse experienced classic founder’s succession issues, suffering from a lack of leadership and direction in the years after his death.  As other competing theaters in Los Angeles grew in popularity, particularly those at today’s Center Theatre Group in downtown Los Angeles, many traditional patrons to the Playhouse were looking for a new and more cosmopolitan experience.  They began to cancel their subscriptions at the Playhouse for other options.

Likewise, when the local drama departments of USC and UCLA formed, the Playhouse college began to lose enrollment as students opted for the broader university experience.  The College eventually closed in 1969, the same year the theater itself was shuttered and claimed bankruptcy.

Because of prescient and ardent preservationists, almost all of the theater’s archives, which included Gilmor Brown’s papers, production designs and histories, clippings, art, photographs, film and various other theater memorabilia, were saved from auction and guarded in various private and public locations around Pasadena. Over the ensuing years, most of it was gathered and donated to the Huntington Library where the collection is held and believed to be one of largest American regional theater collections in the nation.

During the 16 years during which the Pasadena Playhouse was dark, important work was being done to ensure its future.  The Friends of the Pasadena Playhouse, a volunteer support group that has grown to 400, formed and was instrumental and securing the building’s California State Landmark status, saving it forever from the wrecking ball.  On November 11, 1975, the Pasadena Playhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an "excellent example of Spanish Colonial style" and "example of the work of noted Los Angeles architect Elmer Grey".  After a succession of real estate transactions, the Playhouse was finally reopened in 1986 as a non-for-profit LORT B theater.

RESURRGENCE: 1990s-2016

Entrepreneur and developer, David Houk, helped to successfully reopen and renovate the Playhouse, as well as create the Playhouse District itself, an area of retail and shopping that is now bustling around its namesake establishment. By the early 90’s and the Playhouse’s 75th anniversary in 1992, the theater enjoyed a thriving subscriber base of over 24,000 patrons from 327 zip codes and produced eight shows per year. In 1997, Sheldon Epps was named artistic director and became the first artistic director of color at a major Southern California theater. In a tenure that would last 20 years, the period under Epps direction would result in the theater becoming well known for its emphasis on diverse content and casting, new musicals, and growth in the areas of education and new play development.

The Carrie Hamilton Theater, named after the late daughter of Carol Burnett, opened in 2006, giving the Playhouse a second space that was quickly utilized as a place for rehearsals, readings, short experimental productions and theaters-in-residence. The 99-seat theater eventually hosted the Furious Theater Company for several seasons. Furious produced more cutting-edge work and drew a younger audience.

For the past two decades, the Pasadena Playhouse has staged several hit shows that went on to Broadway acclaim, including Baby, It’s You, Sister Act, and Purlie, and is known for producing multi-ethnic programming with a strong emphasis on diversity. Through programs that helped to bring students to the theater as well as groups who might not have the opportunity to attend a live theatrical event, community outreach and arts education are pillars of the Playhouse’s mission. The theater has also found great success through co-productions.  From local theater companies like South Coast Repertory and Deaf West Theater, to New Jersey’s Crossroads Theatre Company, collaborations have brought bigger or more interesting productions to Pasadena. 

In 2016, Sheldon Epps announced his tenure would end at the Playhouse and a new artistic director, Danny Feldman, hailing from New York’s Labyrinth Theatre Company, was named on the eve of the theater’s Centennial.

INTO ITS NEXT CENTURY:  2017-present

2017 marked 100 years of The Pasadena Playhouse, which currently has a seating capacity of 686 for the main stage. The year 2017 also marked the 90th anniversary of the founding of The Playhouse College of Theatre Arts, and the 80th anniversary of the Playhouse’s designation as The Official State Theatre of California. These three significant anniversaries point to the importance of The Pasadena Playhouse in the chronicles of American theatre, with very few, if any, professional theatres in this country able to claim similar distinctions of history, impact and longevity. 

The Pasadena Playhouse is included on our Los Angeles Architecture: An Eclectic Landscape©  custom-created heritage and cultural Tour which is generally scheduled during the month of May when offered, in order to coincide with the Pasadena Showcase House of Design fundraiser benefiting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra's educational and performance programs for disadvantaged youth. For more information, visit our Website at http://snobbytours.com/EclecticLAarchitecture.html

.

(Primary Sources: pasadenaplayhouse.org; Historic Pasadena: An Illustrated History  by Ann Scheid (1999); The Los Angeles Times; NetState: California)

©2021 Snobby Tours^®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SPOTLIGHT ON CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, KNOWN AS "THE HOLY CITY"©

 

When anyone looks out over the Charleston skyline, the horizon is dotted with steeples and palmetto trees. Charleston, originally called Charles Towne, named after King Charles II of England, was founded in 1670.  By the 1680s, it was the fifth largest town in Colonial North America, i.e., "The Colonies".  Charles Towne changed its name to Charleston in 1783 when it became incorporated as a city.  Remarkably for a city with a current population of approximately 140,000 people, not considering the surrounding urban areas, there are over 400 houses of worship of different denominations throughout the geographical parameters of Charleston itself, and a long history – approximately 350 years -- of religious tolerance.

For this reason, Charleston is known as "The Holy City." 

In this Blog article, I highlight a few of the oldest, still-existing religious congregations in Charleston which were established between 1680 and 1800 -- discussing them in chronological order based upon their year of founding or organization, starting with the earliest.  Some of the current buildings of the houses of worship featured in this article have been occupied by their respective religious congregations for over 200 years, dating back to Charleston’s earliest days.  Additionally, several congregations were established in Charleston by various groups, both Christian and Jewish, trying to escape religious persecution either in their homelands of France, Spain, England, and Scotland, or in communities within their own origin faith located elsewhere in Colonial America.  Together, they are a testament to the power of acceptance and inclusion of diverse religious beliefs in Charleston, and to some extent, even racial diversity prior to the U.S. Civil War and the abolition of slavery.

 

ST. PHILIP’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

St. Philip's Episcopal Church, founded in 1680 by Charleston colonialists, and a National Historic Landmark, houses the oldest congregation in South Carolina.  It was the first Anglican church established south of Virginia.  St. Philip’s has played a role in the spiritual, cultural, and civic life of the people of Charleston for over 300 years.  St. Philip’s established the first hospital and one of the earliest schools in the colony in the first decades of the 18^th century.  In its churchyard are buried leading patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. It is often referred to as the “Westminster Abbey of South Carolina”.  

The current church building is the third to house the congregation of St. Philip's. The first church building, constructed in 1681, was a small wooden structure which was located on the present site of St. Michael's Episcopal Church. In the early 18th century, the congregation of St. Philip's built a second brick church on its original 1681 site, which is the current site of St. Michael's church.  This second church building housing St. Philip's was  partially funded by duties on rum and enslaved Africans. The architectural style of St. Philip's second church, which held its first services on Easter Day in 1723, was Anglo-Palladian, popularized by London’s St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields. After previously suffering from one fire that was extinguished by an enslaved man who was thereafter given his freedom for this act, the second St. Philip's church building completely burned in 1835. The third and current St. Philip's church building was constructed from 1835 to 1838 by architect Joseph Hyde, while the steeple, designed by E.B. White, was added a decade later.  Hyde's design for the current church building incorporated some of the features of the former building, as the vestry proposed, while introducing new design elements.  St. Philip's today, like its earlier church, extends into the center of Church Street, following the contemporary practice of parish churches in England. While planning for St. Philip's, the city of Charleston proposed widening the street. A persuasive argument was made by the vestry that a steeple was more ornamental than a street. Compromising, the church was built slightly to the east, with the street curving around the projecting tower and steeple.  A unique architectural feature of the church's exterior are three separate Tuscan porticoes, one on each of its Church Street facades. Hyde added Roman columns and entablatures to the interior, as well as high Corinthian arcades and a chancel. The chancel was damaged during the U.S. Civil War, when St. Philip's steeple was used as a “lookout place” during the bombardment of the city by Union troops. The bells that were at the time encased in the steeple were melted for Confederate cannons.  Many prominent people are buried in the church’s graveyard, including several colonial Governors and five Episcopal bishops, as well as John C. Calhoun (former Vice President of the United States). 

 

ST. MICHAEL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

St. Michael’s Church considers itself to be the oldest church edifice in the city of Charleston, and stands on the original site of the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, mentioned herein above.  In 1681, the small wooden church building that housed St. Philip's, the first in the new town of Charleston, was constructed for the families of the Church of England,  The history of the congregation of St. Michael's is firmly connected to, and entrenched in, that of St. Philip's Episcopal Church,  The first St. Philip's church building stood on current site of St. Michael’s from approximately 1681 to 1727.  By 1727, Charleston's population had increased and St. Phillip's congregation had become too large for that small wooden church, so a more spacious second church building was constructed of brick on Church Street, later destroyed by a fire in 1835.  St. Philip's today, like its earlier church, extends into the center of Church Street.   By 1751, St. Philip’s second church building had again become too small for the increasing population, and another church building, to be known as St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, was authorized by the General Assembly of the Province, to be built on the original 1681 site that had been the first location of St. Philip's. The cornerstone for St. Michael's was laid in 1752.  St. Michael's Episcopal Church, separate from St. Philip's, was constructed between 1752 and 1761, and in 1761, St. Michael's was opened for services.  Today, St. Michael's is often referred to as the oldest church in Charleston.  Except for the addition of the sacristy in 1883 on the southeast corner, the structure of the this still-extant church building has hardly changed over the centuries;  however, the church’s entire steeple of 186 feet in height with its weather vane of  7 ½ feet long, sank 8-inches as a result of the earthquake in 1886. 

Although the architect’s name is unknown, the type of architecture follows the tradition of Sir Christopher Wren, generally used during the Colonial period and up to the Gothic revival in 1841. The design carries out worship according to the Book of Common Prayer, where the service is to be heard and all the worshippers are to participate. The altar is close to the congregation in a shallow recess, the apse, with the choir and organ in the rear. A gallery on three sides brings more people closer to the center of worship. The clock and a ring of 8 bells were imported from England in 1764. The clock originally had only an hour hand for each face. It is thought to be the oldest functioning colonial tower clock in the country. In 1849, City Council asked permission to add a minute hand, which was granted. The original organ was made by John Snetzler in London; and was installed in 1768. The font was imported from England in 1771.  The bells were taken back to England after the Revolutionary War as a prize of war;  however they were bought by a London merchant and shipped back to Charleston.  When the bells arrived at the dock, the townspeople, overjoyed to see them again, swarmed on board ship, dragged them away, up into the steeple, and rehung them immediately. During the War Between the States, aka the American Civil War, the bells were sent to Columbia, South Carolina; however, they were burned and cracked during the War in the great fire of 1865 at the time General Sherman's troops captured the city. The metal fragments from the bells was salvaged, sent to England, and again recast by the original founders in the original molds. The pews, of native cedar, are very much the same as they have always been except for the addition of ten, filling up what was once an aisle from the south door to a north door (now filled by the “Annunciation” window), thus originally making a cruciform design with the main (east-west) aisle. The large, long double-pew in the center of the church, No. 43, originally known as “The Governor’s Pew,” is the one in which President George Washington worshipped on Sunday afternoon, May 8, 1791. General Robert E. Lee also worshipped in the same pew some seventy years later, in 1861.  The pulpit is the original one, remarkable for its height and the massive sounding board supported by two Corinthian columns. Its prominence bears out the fact that at the time the Church was built, the center of interest in the service was the sermon.  The chancel rail of wrought iron, dating from 1772, is a fine example of English hand work of the period. It was the first important piece of wrought iron to be imported to Charleston. The chancel chairs were purchased by the Vestry in 1817. In 1865 during the Federal bombardment of the city, a shell burst near the chancel. A scar is still to be seen at the base of the pulpit. The chancel window, installed as a memorial in 1893, shows St. Michael casting out the dragon, after Raphael’s painting. The Altar is Victorian, having been presented in 1892 as a memorial. The present chancel decoration was created by Tiffany in 1905. The chandelier, ordered from London in 1803, now electrified, was first lighted with candles and later with gas. A long term restoration and preservation project for the stained glass of St. Michael’s was undertaken recently as part of St. Michael’s 250th Anniversary celebration. St. Michael’s is one of the few city churches in America that has retained this original design. Notable architectural elements include the portico which dates to the late 1880’s, a three-sided second story gallery, and its native cedar box-pews.

FRENCH PROTESTANT (HUGUENOT) CHURCH 

In April of 1680 the ship Richmond arrived in Charleston with 45 French Protestants (Huguenots) aboard. The French Protestant Church of Charleston was founded in 1681 by these Huguenots who were refugees fleeing persecution in France.  More refugees followed, and in 1687, a church was built on what is now the corner of Church St. and Queen St. in downtown Charleston. About 450 Huguenots had settled in the Low Country of South Carolina by 1700.  The original church was destroyed in 1796 in an attempt to stop the spread of fire, and the second church which was built in 1800 was dismantled 44 years later to make room for the current church.  The current church, dedicated in 1845, is the third on the site.  The current church is the oldest Greek Revival Church in South Carolina. In 1845, the church also purchased and installed a tracker organ carved in the style and shape of a Gothic chapel.  The current church was damaged by shellfire during the U.S. Civil War.  After the Civil War ended in 1865, Union soldiers dismantled the organ and were loading it on a ship bound for New York when the pleas of the organist, Mr. T. P. O'Neale and some influential friends saved it. The current church building was nearly demolished by the 1886 Charleston earthquake. This is the only remaining independent Huguenot Church in America.  Today, the services are no longer in French except once a year, and worshipers no longer arrive in boats as they did when this was known as “The Church of the Tides.” The Huguenot Church of Charleston is independent and is not affiliated with any governing church body.  Notable architectural design elements include the use of stucco over brick, and windows ornamented with buttresses and decorative details.

 

CIRCULAR CONGREGATION CHURCH, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 

This congregation was co-founded with the city during the years between 1680-1685 by the English Congregationalists, Scottish Presbyterians, and French Huguenots of the original Charles Towne settlement – all seeking religious freedom.  Organized in 1681, Circular's congregation has been worshiping on the same physical site in Charleston, South Carolina since 1681, although the current structure is the third at that location.  From its inception, the congregation has challenged the established order, and continued this practice throughout its history from the perspective of a progressive theology and the propounding of social justice.  During the colonial period, this unusual church had no official name, but allowed itself to be called either Presbyterian, Congregational, or Independent: sometimes by one of the names, sometimes by two of them, and at other times by all three. The Circular Church established the first Sunday School in South Carolina.  The first church building erected on the site was known as the White Meeting House, for which Meeting Street was named. The church’s congregation was growing quickly so the original church was replaced by a larger circular structure in 1806. The second church building was severely damaged by the Great Charleston Fire of 1861 and then leveled by the 1886 Charleston earthquake. Services were held in the much smaller Parish House until the current Romanesque church building  could be built using bricks from the previous structure. It was completed in 1892. The church's graveyard is the city's oldest burial ground and has one monument remaining from 1695.

 

 UNITARIAN CHURCH 

The Unitarian Church in Charleston is the oldest Unitarian church in the South, and the second oldest church in Downtown Charleston. Its history is connected to the First Independent Church of Charleston which was founded in 1681 and referred to as “the Old White Meeting House”.  Unitarian Church is also connected to the history of Circular Congregational Church. By 1772, the First Independent Church had so many members that more space was needed in order to handle to overflow.  Construction on what was to become Unitarian Church began in 1774 but was interrupted by the Revolutionary War.  The church building was eventually completed in 1787 and thereafter actually first used as a church. The structure that was built was a simple, utilitarian Georgian structure, but not initially used as a church due to the War. The building was initially used by the Americans as a barracks, then by the English, and then again by the Americans after the British were driven out.  The English had great disdain for dissenters and did not treat the building well.  Some say it was even used to stable horses.  Because the congregation of the Circular Congregational Church had steadily been rapidly growing, a second church building was needed. In 1815, the first Unitarian-educated minister came on board, although he and the church did not identify in Charleston as being Unitarian. In 1817, however, the Archdale congregation in Charleston was chartered as the Second Independent Church, with an acknowledged Unitarian minister presiding. In 1839, that congregation was re-chartered as Unitarian. In 1852, the architect Francis Lee was commissioned to design the current church building.  Lee was a member of the congregation and a mere 26 years old.  He patterned the perpendicular Gothic design after churches in England, particularly King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. The beautiful fan tracery ceiling – all lathe and plaster – was copied from that structure.  A rear chancel and a four-story tower were also added. Notable architectural elements on the Unitarian church building include the crenellated tower, arched windows, stained glass panels, and Tudor arch entrance. 

 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH  

First Baptist Church, the earliest and oldest Baptist church in the American South, was originally organized on September 25, 1682 in Kittery, Maine, under the sponsorship of the First Baptist Church of Boston. Late in 1696, the pastor William Screven, and 28 members of the Kittery congregation emigrated from Boston and settled in Charleston, South Carolina after being pressured by the New England Congregationalist authorities and due to religious persecution. The relocated congregation became the First Baptist Church of Charleston, and in 1689 its founding pastor declared the church to be firmly Calvinist (Reformed Baptist), following in the footsteps of their brethren in London. The current Greek Revival-style church was designed by the first American-born architect, Robert Mills. The current church building replaced a prior Meeting House that had been built in the early 1700’s. Since being built, this church building has been severely damaged by war, a tropical cyclone, and an earthquake, but has been repaired and restored each time. Architectural design elements include a solid mahogany pulpit and a Wicks pipe organ with all exposed pipes. 

 

FIRST (SCOTS) PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

Organized in 1731 by Caledonian immigrants, the congregation was established when a dozen Scottish residents left the Independent Church of Charleston, now the Circular Congregational Church. The current church building was constructed in 1814, making it the fifth oldest church building in Charleston, and the second First Scots church building on the same site. The first church building was finished in 1734 and used for worship until the current church was built. Church services were halted during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The architectural design of First Scots, as it is called by locals, was inspired by the Baltimore Basilica in Baltimore, Maryland. During the U.S. Civil War, the bells in the two bell towers of First Scots were donated to the Confederate military. The church was severely damaged by a hurricane in 1885 and the Great Charleston Earthquake the following year in 1886.  By this point in time, antagonism between Presbyterians from both the former Union (North) and the former Confederacy (South) had mended at least on a spiritual level, and Presbyterians living in the "North" assisted in repairing First Scots after both of these natural disasters. In 1999, an English bell originally made in 1814 was hung in the North tower of First Scots, replacing one of the bells which had been donated to the Confederacy. The church’s graveyard contains more than 50 stones that date prior to the year 1800. Notable architectural design elements include twin towers that rise above a columned portico, a number of Scottish symbols in the stained glass windows -- including the Seal of the Church of Scotland in a window over the main entrance -- and decorative wrought iron grilles containing images of thistles, which are the symbol of Scotland.

 

ST.  JOHN’S LUTHERAN CHURCH 

St. John's Lutheran Church, established in 1742, is Charleston's oldest Lutheran congregation, dating its origins to when Dr. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, known as the “Father of American Lutheranism”, arrived in Charleston and recorded that he worked among the German Lutherans ministering to their needs, leading them in worship, teaching Martin Luther’s Catechism and administering the Sacraments.  Reverend John George Friederichs arrived in 1755 and organized the congregation. The organization of the congregation into a formal body and the hiring of a pastor seems to mark the beginning of Lutheranism in South Carolina (HSC). Services were held in the French Huguenot Church until the first Lutheran church building was completed in 1763. The congregation was staunchly opposed to British rule during the Revolutionary War. The church considers a “golden era” of St. John’s to be the pastorate of the Reverend Dr. John Bachman whose ministry and influence spanned almost sixty years (1815-1874).  The congregation grew rapidly, and a new sanctuary parish building -- the current church building designed in the Classical Greek Revival style popular during that time --  was dedicated in 1818.  Early in his pastorate at St. John’s, Dr. Bachman began a ministry to the Black population of the city. By 1860, prior to the U.S. Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves, the Black membership of St. John’s had grown to 200, with a Sunday School of 150 pupils taught by a staff of 32 teachers. During the U.S. Civil War, the church bell was removed from its tower and melted into gun metal, the church building suffered extensive damage from a direct hit of cannon fire, and the parish building burned.  Additionally, during the Civil War, the original sterling communion silver was lost, along with Dr. Bachman’s valuable theological and scientific library.  When peace was restored, St. John's was the first church in Charleston to re-open, again under the leadership of Dr. Bachman.  Following his death, he was buried under the church's altar.  During the difficult years of Reconstruction in the American South, including in Charleston, the chancel of  the church was re-designed, and its Good Shepherd stained glass window added.  In the succeeding years, the historic edifice was artistically restored to its "Colonial" architectural style (Classical Greek Revival which also incorporates Federal and Baroque architectural design elements).  Additionally, a spacious parish building was constructed, and a new twenty-six rank Schantz organ was installed behind the original 1823 Thomas Hall case. The rectangular-shaped church building is constructed of brick covered in stucco.

 

KAHAL KADOSH BETH ELOHIM SYNAGOGUE 

The city of Charleston was founded in 1670, and the earliest known reference to Jewish residents in that English settlement is in a description dated 1695. Soon thereafter, other Jewish settlers followed, primarily from Western Europe, attracted by the civil and religious liberty of South Carolina and freedom from persecution primarily by the Spanish Inquisition. These Jewish pioneers were sufficiently numerous by 1749 in Charleston to organize the first and still-extant congregation, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, meaning Holy Congregation House of God, and fifteen years later in 1764, also to establish the now-historic Coming Street Cemetery, the oldest surviving Jewish burial ground in the South.  Initially, prayers were recited in private quarters, however commencing in 1775, religious services were held in an improvised synagogue adjacent to the present-day synagogue grounds.  In 1792, construction of the largest synagogue in the United States commenced, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE), which was dedicated two years later in 1794. In 1824, 47 KKBE congregants petitioned the Adjunta (the trustees) of the synagogue to change the Sephardic (Spanish-based) Orthodox liturgy, asking for abridgement of the Hebrew ritual, English translation of the prayers, and a sermon in English.  When the original petition was denied, leaders within the KKBE congregation resigned and organized "The Reformed Society of Israelites".  Many of the Society’s practices and principles have become part of today's Reform Judaism.  The city of Charleston, therefore, is acknowledged as the birthplace of Reform Judaism in the United States. In 1833, after nine years, the Reformed Society rejoined the old KKBE congregation.  The Georgian-designed synagogue with its distinctive cupolas dating from 1792 was destroyed in the Great Charleston Fire of 1838 and replaced in 1840 by the synagogue building in use today.  While the present synagogue was being built in 1840, an organ was installed -- not part of traditional Jewish services prior to that time.  After construction, the first service in the new synagogue building introduced a liberalized ritual, including the use of an organ.  KKBE became one of the earliest synagogues of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873 (now known as the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), and still serves the Reform Judaism community in Charleston, while also being the cornerstone of American Reform Jewish practice. The congregation of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE) is the USA’s fourth oldest Jewish community, the second oldest synagogue building in the USA, and the oldest synagogue building in continuous use. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980.  A small museum on the synagogue's premises contains artifacts pertinent to the history of the congregation, such as a letter written to the congregation by George Washington. This still-extant 1840 synagogue building is an excellent example of the Classical Greek Revival architectural style. Notable architectural design elements include a full Greek temple front with fluted Doric columns supporting a gable pediment.

 

 SAINT MARY OF THE ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC CHURCH 

Saint Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church in Charleston is the first Roman Catholic Parish in the Carolinas and Georgia. It is also the mother church of the Dioceses of South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.  In the late 1700s, there were few Roman Catholics in Charleston, and those who lived in the city were vastly outnumbered by Protestants, and barred from holding elected office.  Consequently, they were generally reluctant to identify themselves publicly. In 1786, however, a European ship bound for South America put into port in Charleston harbor to avoid bad weather.  An Italian priest on board offered Mass in the house of  a local Irish Catholic resident for a congregation of about a dozen people.  Generally thought to be the first celebration of the Mass in Charleston, this one act slowly engendered confidence within the small community of Catholics, and their numbers began increase, growing to nearly 200 by the end of the decade.  In 1788, the Right Reverend John Carroll (then Prefect Apostolic of the United States) sent to Charleston the Reverend Matthew Ryan, a priest of the Diocese of Dublin, who found the Catholics in Charleston still to be “few, poor, and timid.”  Father Ryan rented a wood frame meeting house on Hasell Street that had previously been used by a sect of Calvinistic Methodists, and began to organize a parish, but he had to leave within months, due to illness.  Near the end of 1789, Bishop Carroll (by now Bishop of Baltimore, the first U.S. diocese) appointed the Reverend Doctor Thomas Keating to replace Father Ryan.  During Keating's tenure, the property where the Catholic parishioners had been worshiping was procured permanently, purchased at auction for 460 pounds and 3 pence sterling in 1789 by five parishioners serving as trustees.  It was Father Keating who named the parish Saint Mary of the Annunciation, in honor of the Mother of Christ. The original 1789 structure on the property was replaced by a brick church in 1806 but was totally destroyed, along with its nearby neighbor, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, during the Great Fire of 1838.  Bolstered by the generosity and sympathy of people from all around the United States, the parishioners immediately set about rebuilding.  The cornerstone of the current church structure, built by Christopher Kane, was laid shortly thereafter on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1838.  The current church building is the third structure on the site, and is in the Greek Revival architectural style, Saint Mary is distinguished by the temple-style pediment on its gable-front roof which is supported by four Ionic columns.  The church is entered through a portico.  Saint Mary reopened on June 9, 1839. The U.S. Civil War brought considerable bombardment of the Charleston peninsula by Union forces in 1864.  One Union shell destroyed the Henry Urban organ in the rear balcony of Saint Mary, while another damaged the left front of the church exterior.  Numerous other shells obliterated gravestones in the church graveyard and caused other minor interior damage.  Subsequently, Saint Mary escaped several noteworthy natural disasters with only minor damage, including the Charleston earthquake of 1886 and the hurricane of 1893. The still-extant 1839 Classical Greek Revival-style building has elements and ornamental details adapted from Classical Roman architecture. Notable architectural design elements include four Doric columns that support a large entablature, stained glass windows imported from Munich, Germany, and a painting of the Crucifixion created in 1814 by artist John S. Cogdell over the main entrance. Severely damaged in the Great Fire of 1838, that same painting was restored by being completely repainted on the same canvas by a parishioner who was also an artist.  The church graveyard, on each side and to the rear of the church, contains names that are predominantly Irish, French, Spanish and Scottish.  In 1896, Saint Mary parishioners undertook a restoration effort for the church building. The main altar, the sanctuary and other alters were donated by various families as memorials between 1896 and 1905.

OLD BETHEL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 

Begun in 1797 and completed in 1809, Old Bethel Methodist Church is the oldest Methodist church building still standing in Charleston and the third oldest church building surviving in Charleston. Construction of the original gabled "Meeting House" style of church was planned by Francis Asbury, the first Bishop of American Methodism in the 18th century. The founding of Old Bethel Church by both Black and White members was indicative of the Methodist Church philosophy of encouraging Black membership in the church. The church was originally located at 55 Pitt St. The congregation of Old Bethel included whites, free Blacks and slaves; but in 1834 the church became divided over whether Blacks were to be restricted to sitting in the galleries. Six years later, the Black members seceded to form their own congregation, and in 1852 the original church was moved to the back of the lot to be used by the Black congregation. A new church named Bethel Methodist was thereafter built to serve only the White congregation. The Old Bethel church building was again moved in 1880 when the building was given to the Black congregation.  The entire church building was rolled across Calhoun Street to its present site.  The original white clapboard building has been altered by the addition to the façade of a gabled portico supported by four fluted Corinthian columns. A central double door is flanked by single doors on either side, and these entrances are surmounted by segmented transoms. Within the front gable is a semi-circular louver. Brick foundations of American bond date from 1880.   Notable architectural design elements include its gabled portico supported by four fluted Corinthian columns and a pressed metal ceiling. Old Bethel currently continues to serve a Black congregation which includes descendants of the 1880 congregation. 

==========================================

(Historical Data and Photo Sources:  Explore Charleston®; visit-historic-charleston.com; https://www.circularchurch.org/; https://www.fbcharleston.org/the-past-history; https://www.charlestonuu.org/church-history;  https://www.first-scot.org/; https://stjohnscharleston.org/; https://www.huguenot-church.org/history.html; https://www.kkbe.org/ourhistory; https://www.stphilipschurchsc.org/history;  https://www.nps.gov/places/st-philips-episcopal-church.htm; https://stmichaelschurch.net/about/history/; http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/charleston/; http://www.sma.church/)

©2021 Snobby Tours^®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

THE WHITE HORSES OF THE CAMARGUE REGION OF FRANCE©

When most people think of France, they generally think of Paris, the wine-producing regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, and perhaps Provence in the South of France where Impressionist painters such as Renoir, Van Gogh and Cezanne captured the soft pinkish-gold light which blankets the landscape.

The Camargue region, however, in the Southwest of France close to the Iberian Peninsula, and Spain in particular, is sometimes known as the “Wild West of France.”  It is Western Europe’s largest river delta -- a panorama of rippling swamps, marshes, rice paddies, and ancient villages. 

This part of France attracts nature lovers from around the world for its diverse population of wildlife. These visitors may know the region from its emblematic white flamingos, their flocks blooming like flowers from the marshes. Hundreds of thousands of birds converge there during migrating season in Spring and Fall.  In fact, the Camargue Natural Park area includes a massive UNESCO designated wildlife reserve.

The Camargue horses are an ancient breed of horse indigenous to the Camargue area in southern France.  Some researchers believe they are descended from the ancient Solutré horse hunted during the Upper Paleolithic period.  Their distinctive colouring develops through their aging process.  The underlying skin is black, and during their early years, their "coats" initially lighten from dark to light grey -- ultimately becoming increasingly white at their maturity and in their later life.

Extensive archeological evidence has been found in the present-day Burgundy region of France.  The Camargue breed was appreciated by the Celtic and Roman invaders who entered the Iberian Peninsula where their genealogy is closely tied with Iberian horses,  especially those of the northern part of the Peninsula.  Generally considered one of the oldest breeds of horses in the world, for centuries these small horses have lived wild in the harsh environment of the Camargue marshes and wetlands of the Rhône delta.  

The original Spanish "jaca" is often considered to be a cross between the Celtic pony and the Camargue breed.  The resulting breed was later crossed with Northern European horse types and ultimately with the Southern Peninsula horse as the Moors spread their influence toward the Pyrenees in the Middle Ages between the late 8th and the late 15th Centuries.

Cross-breeding with both Northern European and the Iberian Peninsula horses, created strong, very hardy horses related to the Camargue horse, and which likely came to the New World as the warhorse accompanying the Spanish explorers and conquistadors in the 16th and 17th Centuries. 

In 2014 K.J. Wetherholt wrote an interesting article for the Huffington Post on these horses. “Horses and humanity have had a deeply intertwined history; horses have been an ancient fixture in antiquity,” she described. “Seen on the most ancient of cave paintings, from Lascaux and Chauvet, to other examples of early art, when human beings first tried to capture the most powerful symbols often dramatically depicting their connection with the environment.”

Today, The Camargue are the traditional mounts for "gardians", mounted cattle herdsmen in the Gard Department of Southern France in Provence.  The Camargue also participate in local events and festivals featuring equestrian competitions for which their calm temperament, stamina and agility are particularly suited.

(Primary Sources:  National Geographic Newsroom, July 9, 2017; Photos and primary source credit:  Kike Calvo;  Hendricks, Bonnie L., International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007).

©2021 Snobby Tours^®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

SPOTLIGHT TOUR: THE NATIONAL STEINBECK CENTER in SALINAS, CALIFORNIA©

 

Located just a couple of blocks from Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck's birth home in Salinas, California, the National Steinbeck Center (NSC) is an interactive "museum of his books" which is totally engaging as well as educationally and historically significant.  It is always on my "must do" list whenever I visit the Central Coast of California, specifically the Carmel Valley.

John Steinbeck was what we refer to today as a political activist for social, environmental and political change.  He and documentary photographer Dorothea Lange chronicled in words and pictures the plight of "the common man" during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s.  Their published articles raised awareness across the entire country and of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which led to the creation of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) relief program in 1935 that put almost 9-million Americans to work during its 7+ years of existence.

Steinbeck Birth Home in Salinas
©Snobby Tours^®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

National Steinbeck Center, Exterior
©Steinbeck.org

The Steinbeck Center Foundation was established in 1983.  The National Steinbeck Center itself was completed and opened to the public on June 27, 1998, and ever since has been enhancing awareness of Steinbeck's works and ideas, as well as of the written word. For more than twenty years, the NSC has fostered dialogues on issues relating to social justice, the environment, biological sciences, the "common good", ethical action and diversity, and racial diversity.

The Center houses the largest collection of Steinbeck archives in the United States -- over 45,000 historical and family documents, manuscripts, interviews, photographs, films and artifacts pertaining to Steinbeck's life, as well as to the history of Salinas and the Salinas Valley.  It is the focal point for activities which encourage learning about literature, human nature, agriculture, and the fine arts.

A number of educational and multi-media programs are provided regularly for the public, in particular, students and teachers.  The NSC conducts approximately 50 events each year, including the Annual Steinbeck Festival, Steinbeck's Birthday Celebration, and the Steinbeck Young Authors Program. The year I attended Steinbeck's Birthday Celebration, a special Brunch was served in his birth home, pictured above, followed by a tour of the home conducted by docents who had known him and his family.

The National Steinbeck Exhibition Hall is designed as a journey through John Steinbeck's "Valley of the World".  The Exhibit is organized geographically so that visitors can visit locations where Steinbeck lived, traveled to and wrote about.

Interior, Exhibition Hall
©Steinbeck.org

The different stops along the "journey" include displays which bring his novels and short stories to life through theatrical sets, allowing visitors to step into the scene or time period. Throughout the experience, visitors can watch clips from motion pictures made of his books, listen to sound clips, participate in hands-on activities, and view original artifacts that cover the life and writings of Steinbeck.

Interior, Exhibition Hall
©Snobby Tours^®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Doc's Lab Exhibit in National Steinbeck Center
©Snobby Tours^®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Included are Doc's Lab (Cannery Row), the Trask car (East of Eden), the Joad house (Grapes of Wrath), and Steinbeck's gypsy wagon in which he traveled with his dog, Charley.  There is also a video of his acceptance speech from when he won the Nobel Prize for literature.

Travels with Charley Exhibit
©Steinbeck.org

Nobel Prize Exhibit
©Steinbeck.org

The overall experience gives visitors the opportunity to connect their own life experiences to the universal themes of Steinbeck's major works, the Salinas Valley of California, and to understand Steinbeck's message that "words matter".

The National Steinbeck Center has announced its re-opening date of May 6, 2021, following temporary closure in 2020 due to COVID-19. 

(Primary Source:  National Steinbeck Center)

©2021 Snobby Tours^®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.