OJAI : Chapel May Be Registered as Historic Site

Ojai’s St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel may soon become immortalized on the National Register of Historic Places.

The state Historical Resources Commission has recommended that the chapel be placed on the national register. State recommendations generally receive automatic approval at the federal level, said Dan Singer, assistant to the city manager of Ojai.

Although there are already a dozen buildings in Ventura County on the national register, the chapel on the corner of Blanche Street and Ojai Avenue would be the first in the Ojai Valley. Placement on the register ensures a building’s facade will not be altered without permission from the U. S. Department of Interior.

“It means a lot to have something placed on the national register,” said Betty McAllister, chairwoman of the Ojai Historic Preservation Commission. “It means we’re preserving an important part of our history and saving it from a bulldozer one day. It helps make our town unique and also attracts tourism.”

The chapel was built in the mission revival style by San Diego architects Frank Mead and Richard Requa in 1918 after the original wooden Catholic church burned down. Ojai bought the chapel and adjoining parish hall last year from the Catholic Diocese of Los Angeles for $385,000, Singer said.

The two buildings are undergoing extensive seismic upgrading and asbestos removal. They will house the Ojai Valley Museum, the city’s Historical Society, and the Chamber of Commerce when renovations are completed next year.