First Baptist Church of Ventura
Exotic revivalism trended during an intense building boom in the United States during the 1920s. In 1928, the Board of Deacons of the First Baptist Church in Ventura commissioned Hollywood-based architect Robert Stacy-Judd, a proponent of the Mayan Revival style, to design what was the first ecclesiastic building embodying Mayan architectural forms and art motifs to be erected in the United States. Construction was completed in 1932. The congregation continued to hold services there until May 1959. A month later, the Ventura County Religious Science Church purchased the property and it has been the home of the Ventura Center for Spiritual Living since. It is a City of Ventura Landmark and is listed on the California Register of Historical Resources and National Register of Historic Places.
Ventura, Ventura County
Images by Andrew Schmidt