STRUCTURES : Proud Centenarian : Santa Paula’s Universalist Unitarian Church is steeped in history and civic memory.

On the marquee outside Santa Paula’s Universalist Unitarian Church, there is a quote attributed to Norman Cousins: “Memory is where the proof of life is stored.” The sentiment fits the setting in that the UU church is a structure steeped in history and civic memory.

In March, 1892, the church was dedicated. In March, 1992, the current congregation--a modest but active bunch--staged a birthday party by donning period costumes and re-creating a service of 100 years hence.

It has outlived its neighbors, and it looks a bit lonely in all of its stoic nobility at 740 Main St. But the centenarian sanctuary doesn’t wear its historic character ostentatiously. Although it is an impressive edifice that carries a potent scent of antiquity, it’s possible to miss it if you sneeze as you drive by.

Though it is formidable, the church is tucked away on its lot, and its brick and stone facade suggests a Gothic, dark surface. Mystery lurks.

On closer examination, the church has a kind of architectural richness and stolidity rare in the relatively young terrain of Southern California. Its charms led noted architectural historian David Gebhard, in his book “Guide to Architecture in Los Angeles and Southern California,” to call it “probably the finest building in Santa Paula.” It’s hard to argue the point.

Santa Paula, for all its humble character, has its fair share of fine buildings. The church is, in fact, the oldest continuously standing church in town, but it looks even older than its Victorian vintage.

In his book, “The Spiritual Side of Santa Paula,” Robert C. Clarke writes that “when the Universalist church was started, it drew quite heavily from the other Protestant churches on account of its more liberal views.”

The pioneering catalyst in forming the church in 1890--one of the first Universalist churches on the West Coast--was transplanted New Englander Wallace Hardison. Hardison’s descendants, Robert and Marylou, are still part of the congregation today.

Founding member W. T. Richardson was the architect, who saw fit to hew close to tradition and pattern the church along Gothic and Romanesque lines.

The construction followed the concept of erecting a building from indigenous materials--figuratively having a building rise up out of the earth it’s grounded in. Locally quarried Sespe brownstone and bricks made by the Santa Paula Brick Co. were used.

Handsome details mark the church inside and out. The building is framed by a bell tower to the right and a bronze-roofed portico to the left. Ivy climbs up the base of the building, adding to its New England rusticity. A thin brick chimney, flared at the top, rises dramatically from the roof.

Inside, rich wood paneling covers the chapel ceiling and lines the walls, fitted amply with ornate stained-glass windows. Way back when, the stained-glass panels were shipped in from Chicago, at a cost of $869.50. In 1978, an $11,000 restoration project was completed. Otherwise, the church has remained fairly true to its original form.

Ironically, the oldest and most antiquarian-looking church in town is also its most progressive: The house is somewhat at odds with what goes on inside the house. Had the church been built later, in the 20th Century, the congregation might have opted for a more modern design to reflect progressive theologies.

In “Meet the Unitarian Universalists,” one of the many leaflets available in the church meeting room, author Jack Mendelson writes, “The Unitarian Universalist movement has been called a refuge for rebels, a haven for heretics, a shelter for skeptics--AND IT’S ALL OF THAT! But here is much more.”

Although the Universalists grew out of the Judeo-Christian tradition and were established in the United States in 1790, they espouse no specific religious creed. Instead, they encourage dialogue and study the teachings of various religions.

As denominations go, the Universalists exist in the margins. In Santa Paula, the congregation has hovered around 50 to 60 members since its beginnings. Currently the Santa Paula church is searching for a permanent minister and relies, for the moment, on visiting ministers.

On a recent Sunday, the Rev. Douglas Strong was visiting from Santa Monica, and he gave a sermon entitled “Murphy Brown for President,” addressing Dan Quayle’s “family values” powder keg and the pressure tactics of the religious right.

“Ours is a theology of expansion, not restriction,” he said.

But it’s not a theology rooted in salesmanship. “Most of us wouldn’t be found on a soapbox,” Strong commented from the pulpit when the question of Universalist practices arose. “It’s not that we don’t like outsiders, it’s just that you have to work at it. We’re not real good about spreading the Gospel.”

Church architecture separates itself from its secular counterparts, in that the holy union of form and function takes on a literal meaning.

Taking a close look at Santa Paula’s Universalist Unitarian Church invites reflections on history and culture as much as religion. In some strange way, that broad-based evocation embodies Universalist theology more than the Santa Paula house of worship itself.