The former Second Baptist Church building near downtown Santa Barbara is now a structure of merit.
The city’s Historic Landmarks Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to recognize the building at 26 E. Gutierrez St.
Constructed in 1925, the church served as an important institution for Santa Barbara’s African-American community and is significant for its historical influence on the heritage of the city, according to city historian Nicole Hernandez.
Second Baptist Church and St. Paul AME Church, which is several blocks away at 502 Olive St. and was designated a city landmark in 2020, were popular in the African-American community for decades.
The original church was knocked down in the 1925 earthquake, but was rebuilt afterward.
Minor alterations have been made to the front of the building and the front window was replaced in the 1950s. The side windows are originals.
According to Hernandez, about 70 people attended weekly services at the church in the 1990s, but in 2000, the congregation relocated to 1032 E. Mason St. across from Franklin School.
In 2010, the church proposed building a housing project at the Gutierrez Street site for low-income seniors, veterans and marginalized members of the community, but the proposal was never completed.
After the congregation moved out, the Church of Skatan skateboard shop moved in. The store was opened by the church building owner, Tony Buyalos, who founded skateboard hardware manufacturer Shorty’s Inc. Buyalos died of cancer in 2020.
Although the store closed in 2014, that same year the Architectural Board of Review approved a long-term permit for a large-scale mural on the back of the building.
The mural, by skateboard artist David Flores, was inspired by the Maurice Sendak book, Where the Wild Things Are, and keeps an eye on the parking lot of REI, next door at 321 Anacapa St.
Krystle Farmer Sieghart, co-founder of Healing Justice Santa Barbara, spoke at the Historic Landmarks Commission meeting in support of the building’s designation as a structure of merit. A fifth-generation Santa Barbaran, she said she grew up in the church and was christened there, as were her children.
It was very hard to see the closure of the church, she said, because of “a lack of support from the community.”
“It means a lot to designate historic landmarks like this and say ‘Black lives matter here in Santa Barbara,’” Sieghart said.
“I think it is really important to really make investments in uplifting and supporting black folks in the community and making sure we tell their stories and their history.”
Second Baptist Church was founded in 1910 as Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. Meetings were held in a small house at the corner of East Ortega and Santa Barbara streets, and the congregation was led by the Rev. H.B. Thomas until his death in 1949.
According to Hernandez’s report, the church was one of the first in Santa Barbara established for African-Americans, with St. Paul AME Church having preceded it in 1903.
In her report, Hernandez said Second Baptist Church created Community Achievement Enterprises, a nonprofit subsidiary of the church; sponsored the Learning and Resources Center at the Franklin Neighborhood Center; and had mission programs to serve the less fortunate. She said the church was a place where members could support each other in taking on socioeconomice challenges.
“Second Baptist Church was among the first to contract with the federal government for food distribution to families and those who were homeless,” Hernandez’s report states. “The church was one of the first in Santa Barbara to set up a computer learning program on the Eastside …
“Second Baptist also served as a cultural center where members of the church and the community could learn and celebrate their African/African-American heritage.”
Leticia Forney-Resch also supported the designation.
“I just found out that my ancestor was married at the Mount Olive church,” she said. “So know that my history goes all the way back that far, I don’t want it to get erased again in any way, so I would love for it to become a landmark so other people could learn about this church and all the things it did for this community.”
The commission might later designate the building a city landmark, but first requested that Hernandez return with a more detailed report about the original architecture and “a deeper dive into the building,” commission chairman Anthony Grumbine said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
