Tours
The first Sunday of the month we hold a tour of our church at 12:15 starting in the Fireplace room. The tour is approximately one hour.

The Architectural Tours offer the visitors an opportunity to look closely at architect Bernard Maybeck's masterwork, the 1910 church. A graduate of the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Maybeck created a complex and sophisticated blending of architectural styles that includes elements of Romanesque, Gothic, Japanese, and Arts & Crafts – that combine into what he called "Modern."

Maybeck was an early pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete and featured modern industrial materials including steel factory sash windows, Transite panels, and heavy mill timber framing. His broad use of stenciled color decoration of the interior may have been influenced by the recent renovations of the French cathedrals. Maybeck's outstanding ability to handle interior space is discussed, as is his emphasis on the interaction of interior space and the adjacent landscaping.

Another highpoint is the Fireplace Room, which was the original Sunday School. This charming, domestic-scale room features a massive fireplace and much-admired furniture designed by Maybeck in the Arts & Crafts style.

The tour also covers the 1929 Sunday School, for which Maybeck did the conceptual design and his student, Henry Gutterson, did the working drawings. The discussion includes how Maybeck was selected for the commission, offers insights into his design philosophy, and underscores his commitment to working closely and cooperatively with his clients.

The Architecture
(Printed with permission of Friends of First Church, Berkeley)

Renowned American architect, Bernard Maybeck (1862-1957), designed the church, considered his masterpiece. Our church was designed in 1910 and has been identified by The American Institute of Architects as one of the three finest truly American churches. Art historians place the building within the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designated a National Landmark in 1977.

As you sit in Maybeck's great auditorium, look around and enjoy the beauty and rhythm of the color and design. Here we see a space that includes many styles and periods–Gothic, Romanesque, Byzantine, and in the use of wood, Arts and Crafts.

Maybeck worked with three basic materials Ð poured concrete, translucent hammered glass, and wood. His use of the material was innovative and transformative, producing a building often described as timeless. His use of reinforced concrete was a novel use at the time. He transformed the glass, normally used in industrial factory settings, by cutting and shaping it into forms appropriate for a church. The wood, primarily Douglas fir, was immersed in a colored water bath before installation to accentuate the grain as well a give it a color tone.

The basic plan is that of a square or Greek cross, with two pair of great crossed trusses spanning the central dome overhead. Maybeck embellished them with glowing gilt tracery panels whose graceful curves are echoed throughout the rest of the auditorium. The trusses, supporting the roof, rest on four load bearing columns. The majestic capitals, on top of the columns, are said to combine Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine elements.

Notice that besides the Gothic tracery, there are Romanesque arches on the capitals at the top of the four great piers that support the arches. And many see Byzantine influences in the color and geometric shapes of the applied decoration.

For windows, Maybeck chose to use industrial steel sash–over the objections of the manufacturer. Then, he altered them by dividing the panes in half and ordering hammered Belgian glass, which had the effect if filtering the sunlight and shadows from outside. The use of the factory sash allows the tracery shadows of the plantings outside to be seen. The overall effect is beautiful.

While working on the design of the building, Mr. Maybeck and his wife attended church services for a number of months. He concluded that it was the books - the Bible and Science and Health that gave the service its power and not the persons who were doing the reading. This guided his design of the platform.

The Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut, built our organ in 1953. It has three manual keyboards (Swell, Great and Choir) and a pedal keyboard. The eminent organ architect, James B. Jamison, designed our organ. It is one of the few completely unaltered examples of his work.