COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:

It seems this long, drawn-out battle for St. Luke’s Church in La Crescenta may finally be coming to a resolution within the next few days.

Two years ago, several Episcopal congregations nationwide broke off from the main church in reaction to a crisis over religious doctrine. Several joined the Anglican Church, and some that did, like the congregation at St. Luke’s, retained possession of the physical property that their church was on. The Episcopal Church has sued to regain the property, and in the case of St. Luke’s, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal heard the case Monday. The court will soon hand down a decision, and that will be the final word on this painful local episode. By the time this is published, that decision may have already been handed down.

The Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley considers St. Luke’s church to be one of the most important landmarks in our valley. It’s a recognized icon that we have even included in our logo. It touches the heart and soul of all in our community with its beauty and history.

The church was built from the imagination of Steven Seymour Thomas, a world-famous artist. Thomas and his wife, Helen, of the founding Briggs family, had an estate and art studio on Rosemont Avenue, just above Foothill Boulevard.

In the early 1920s, knowing the community desired a new church, Thomas set up his easel on the corner of Foothill and Rosemont and painted a vision of a natural stone chapel based on the ones he had seen in the French countryside. The community enthusiastically embraced his vision, and St. Luke’s of the Mountains was literally built according to his painting.

That very painting hangs in the office of the church today. In fact, Thomas contributed many valuable pieces of art to his church. An early self-portrait, a religious triptych (a three-paneled painting), a bronze relief sculpture of Helen and stained-glass windows he designed are among them.

Thomas’ art is not the only treasure this church possesses. Besides the stained glass Thomas designed, there are stained-glass works by Tiffany and Judson Studios. The chimes in the church tower were given by the Watchorn family in the late 1920s in memory of their son, who died in World War I, and employ an ancient electrical solenoid to mechanically ring the long, tubular chimes.

Those chimes have provided background music to the valley for decades, and the Historical Society would like to partner with the church in refurbishing them back to daily operation.

The native stonework is a beautiful example of what can be considered the local architectural style.

It is said that as planning for the church progressed, Thomas would search out the perfect stones for the building on his long walks in the valley.

He would chalk a blue cross on the stones, and as residents came across them, they would carry them to the church site for inclusion in the construction.

Seismic safety is addressed by the fact that the stonework is a façade over heavy wooden framing, one of the safest building techniques for earthquake safety.

The lush, wooded grounds are purpose-planted with trees and flowers that are featured in the Bible.

The church has a huge community room with a stage, which has been employed for community plays, concerts and meetings.

So St. Luke’s is more than just a church to the secular world. It is a rich repository of art, culture and history that serves as an anchor in a culturally diversifying and changing neighborhood.

It’s an architectural gem, with a background that speaks of the good in our community.

St. Luke’s currently has no formal historical protection, other than the generations of Crescenta Valley residents and St. Luke’s parishioners who have nurtured its existence. St. Luke’s is eminently qualified for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, a rare distinction for our community that any real estate agent can tell you equates to maintaining good property values.

The Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley would like to express our relief that this litigious chapter is drawing to a close.

To whoever occupies St. Luke’s in the near future, Anglican or Episcopalian, we wish you a great future, and we hope to partner with you, as we have in the past, in celebrating the beauty and history of St. Luke’s.

 MIKE LAWLER is president of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.