Pico Rivera : Church, One of City’s Oldest Buildings, Goes Up in Flames

A fire has destroyed a Pico Rivera church that was one of the city’s oldest buildings. The Monte El Saini Church, at 7630 S. Serapis Ave., was the site of the first school in Rivera, an unincorporated community that later became part of Pico Rivera.

Forty Los Angeles firefighters extinguished the blaze, which began Monday night, in about 20 minutes, but the wood-frame building had nearly burned to the ground, fire inspector Jack Pritchard said. The single-story structure with a peaked roof is a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.

According to a local history book, the building served as Rivera’s first school until 1915. Neither the book nor county property records list when the building was constructed. In 1922, the Woman’s Club of Rivera acquired the building and converted it to a clubhouse. In later years, the 50- by 200-foot building served as a rental hall for weddings and receptions, city spokesman Bill Schlapper said. A small, independent Christian congregation has operated a church out of the building for more than 20 years, Schlapper said. The building was on a list of sites that Pico Rivera is considering for official designation as historical landmarks.