First Congregational Church of Buena Park
In 1885, James A. Whitaker acquired 690 acres in an area early Spanish-speaking settlers called Plaza Buena. He filed a map for the town of Buena Park in 1887. Within a short time, a little business district sprang up at Ninth Street and Grand Avenue (now Beach Blvd.) around Whitaker’s general store. Whitaker let a group of worshipers use a room above his Whitaker General Store for church services. He donated some land at Tenth Street and Grand and $3000 to the group for a new church. With an additional donation from the Congregational Board of New York City, the First Congregational Church of Buena Park was officially established as the first church in the town on September 5, 1888. The original church was constructed of wood and was replaced by the present structure in 1929. It is a City of Buena Park Historical Resource.
Buena Park, Orange County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt