Church of the Nazarene

Albert Sumner Bradford, “the father of Placentia,” offered a plot of land at Main St. and Center St. to “anyone who would build a church.” A contingent from Fullerton First Presbyterian took Bradford up on his offer, formed the Placentia Presbyterian Church in 1912 and built a sanctuary with a distinctive Gothic tower and manse on the site with lumber from the old Placentia Grammar School. The church was enlarged in 1925 and additional buildings were added in 1946. The Placentia Assembly of God acquired the building when the Presbyterians moved to a new, larger church in 1959. Records show they were still using the building in the mid 1960s and the church was stuccoed over sometime after 1966. By the beginning of 1973, the Church of the Nazarene (Iglesia del Nazareno) had moved into the old church and has been there since.

Placentia, Orange County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt