The Bethlehem Baptist Church in Los Angeles was designed by architect R.M. Schindler, and built in 1944. Located in the Central-Alameda district of Los Angeles.[1] on the corner of Compton Avenue and 49th Street,[2] it is the only example of a church designed by Schindler, and "the lone example of Modernist architecture to cross Los Angeles economic and racial boundaries in the era of Jim Crow housing covenants".[3]
History
In 2009, Bethlehem Baptist Church was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles City Council. It had been in a state of abandonment for around ten years, but was then occupied by Faith Build International congregation. Faith-Build International paid the initial $17,500 to lease the property with an option to buy, then began restoring it in February 2014.[2]
In late 2015, the Bethlehem Baptist Church hosted artist Robert Barry’s first solo show in Los Angeles since 1989.[1]
Design
A downward-sloping floor leads to the pulpit, which branches out to two seating areas at 90-degree angles.[2]
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