The center of the "Circles" neighborhood that author John Chase called "that marvelous planning disaster" has contained church facilities since its creation in 1889. The photo above shows the original "tabernacle" built in 1890 by the church-affiliated group the created the subdivision. No other structures are visible, so the tabernacle was apparently the first construction in the new neighborhood. A second church (below), which is unused but still standing in April 2023, was built in 1959.
* John L. Chase, The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture (4th ed. 2023), 242-243.
The 130-year history of church use changed in 2020. The church had sold the parcel to a group of mostly-local individuals, and their rezoning/subdivision applications were approved by the City Council. Two alternative subdivision plans were approved for the rezoned circular parcel. One plan creates 12 single-family-residential lots and a central "common space". Plan 2 (site/landscape plan below) has 10 SFR lots, the same central common space, and a condo/ADU cluster. A demolition/grading permit application is under review, so a demolition date is yet to be determined.
