Your first chance to see Schindler’s only church!
See my Schindler research at SCHINDLER INDEX
Also see Schindler Open House, part 2
When I first saw the Bethlehem Baptist Church last year I immediately fell in love with it, but I was saddened by its condition. Underneath the peeling paint, graffiti and years of neglect was a bold design. That set me off on a year of research into this amazing building.
Schindler designed the Church in 1944 for a black congregation in an urban neighborhood in South LA. It was sold after the original congregation moved out of the neighborhood. It passed through a number of owners, none with the resources to maintain it. It has been abandoned and boarded up for years.
Recently I got some wonderful news. The Church has been repaired and a new congregation, Faith Build International, is moving in. They are having an Open House at the Church next month. This is the first time anyone has been able to see the marvelous, light-filled interior in many years.
Bethlehem Baptist Church Open House
Saturday, April 12, 2014
11AM to 1PM
4901 Compton Ave., Los Angeles 90001
Download the Open House pdf by clicking on the flyer photo.
This event is open to the public – so this is your chance to see this hidden gem. Take my word for it, the only way to really experience a Schindler building is to visit it – photographs can’t fully convey his buildings.
See you at the Open House!
PS I will be writing a series of articles on the design of the Church. This image is a peek at what’s to come – the church in its original colors. Stay tuned.
I am curious to know as what your theory is of what the BB church’s original colors were. From the research I have done on my own, there is no actual record as to what colors Schindler used where. He himself does state the color pallet he used but never specifies how or where he used this on the actual structure.
I share your interest in the mystery of Schindler’s colors for the Church. I don’t want to guess about what color went where. We hope to have a historic paint analysis done as part of the restoration process, to try to answer this question.