Annual Reflection On The Fight For The First Baptist Church Of Venice
By Jon Wolff
On a dark and cool evening in November 2017, a group of Venetians stood on the steps of the First Baptist Church of Venice. They stood in a circle,
holding small candles in their hands. They gathered to talk and to pray for guidance to save this historical church building which had been the home of an
African-American Venice congregation established in Venice over a century ago. It had been bought recently by a billionaire couple who planned to
“re-purpose” it into their own private mega-mansion. The church had been sold by a corrupt pastor who had no regard for the sanctity and history of
the space. The buyers had no connection to the community. But the group of Venetians who met on the steps of the church were Venice activists with
long-standing records of dedication to the land and people of Venice. This group became known as Original Save Venice (OSV).
The first few years of the battle to save the church were rough. The government officials, at that time, offered no support to OSV. The L.A. City
Council took no interest in saving a Black church in the heart of Venice. The Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) was no help either. In fact, many
of the members spoke at hearings in favor of the billionaire owners. One VNC member was the very architect who worked for the owners on the plan to
gut the church. Original Save Venice pleaded their case to the West L.A. Planning Commission. They went to court to challenge the owners’ plan, on the grounds
that it hadn’t included a proper Mello determination. They applied for historical status with the Office of Historic Resources, but the officials and the court
always ruled against them. With little hope and fewer resources, OSV persisted. They met regularly on the steps of the church. They educated people in and outside of Venice about the history of the First Baptist Church of Venice, and also about the story of the fight to save it. The news of this fight was reported in this newspaper, the Free Venice Beachhead. Original Save Venice could have grown weary after years of apparent defeat. But endurance beats strength and people can outlast power. The rich and powerful in Los Angeles expected OSV to put up noble resistance and then fade with the setting sun.
But this is Venice with the owners plan taking too long to manifest, and the public becoming more and more aware each month of the fight to save the church, the management of the property was turned over to a private broker. Clearly, the proposed desecration of this sacred site was becoming a public relations liability. The installation of a mural in the street right in front of the church saying “Black Lives Matter” was perhaps the mortal wound that finally put an end to
the plan. L.A. City Councilmember Mike Bonin saw who the good guys were, and helped OSV to secure historical resource status for the church. After a long
string of setbacks, OSV achieved a victory. Earlier this year, the Community Corporation of Santa Monica (CCSM) purchased the church building and its seven lots. Now OSV is working closely with CCSM on their strategy to restore the church, and to build affordable housing on the adjacent spaces. Some predatory developers tried to insinuate themselves into the process, but CCSM ejected them. OSV remains strong. There is still much more to do. The church building itself needs restoration work. OSV needs to stay vigilant to keep opportunists with their own purposes from creeping in. But OSV has come this far and accomplished the impossible. With divine guidance and a lot of strenuous labor, Original Save Venice is saving the First Baptist Church of Venice. Once again, Venice prevails.