First Congregational Church

Nikon D7000 10-24mm at 18mm ISO 640 3-bkts f/16 Lr3; HEP1

The First Congregational Church is located at the corner of Mission Inn Avenue and Lemon Street in Riverside, California.  The church building takes its design cues, which include the arching colonnade from the Mission Inn which is across the street.  From the church’s web site:

The present church building is one of the most significant Spanish Revival structures existing in Southern California. It was designed by Myron Hunt, a leading California architect who also designed the Spanish Wing of the Mission Inn and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

The building is a brick structure with a concrete tower. Henry Jekel was the architectural engineer for the Spanish Baroque Churrigueresque tower. The cornerstone was laid December 1, 1912, and the building was dedicated on January 25, 1914. The original cost of the building was $100,000…

For many years the church’s 135′ bell tower was empty. in 1986, Don and Beth Miller began the Carillon Project in memory of their son, Scott. A Carillon was chosen, consisting of 24 bells, each of which rings a different pitch on the chromatic scale. The bells, which are the only pealing bells loacted in Southern California, were manufactured in France. In August 1989 installation began, and on October 1, 1989, the bells were dedicated as a memorialto loved ones and a gift of the church to the community.

The sound of the bells was quite appealing and imparted a sense of well being while we were in the neighborhood.

Processing for this image was fairly straightforward, I did amp up the saturation in the flower blossoms.

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