Episcopal Church of Our Saviour

About this property

The Church of Our Saviour is a historic Carpenter Gothic Episcopal church located at 2979 Coloma Street, in Placerville, El Dorado County, California, in the United States. The church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. On November 17, 1977, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour. It was designed by English-born architect William Patton. The Church of Our Saviour was originally organized by the Rev. Charles Caleb Peirce on July 20, 1861, in the midst of the California Gold Rush. Our Saviours’ first services were conducted by The Rev. Mr. Peirce in the Old Court House in Placerville. The Rev. Mr. Peirce (he stated that he disliked being called "Father") expected to find a parish called "Saint Mary's Episcopal Church," that was allegedly begun in 1857. Unfortunately, the parish could not be found. There is no record of its demise. The new congregation continued to use the Court House as a place of worship, and it was not until 1864 that a move to erect a church building was initiated. The ladies of the church on the Fourth of July of that year held a faire. They donated the proceeds from that event for the building fund. This was the first of many fairs that the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) held. Following this were a series of events; the final effort occurring in May 1865 when a three-day fair and bazaar was held, netting $1,200. At this time, the lot on Coloma Street was purchased and work on the church building begun. The Rev. Mr. Peirce was famous for his good character in that he is reported to "have looked for and found good in all people." An excerpt from C. E. Upton's book, The Life and Work of the Rev. C. C. Peirce, illustrates this facet of his character. The Mountain Democrat newspaper in June 1865, told how the El Dorado Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons laid the cornerstone of the Church of Our Saviour. On December 23 of the same year the newspaper reported: “The opening of the new, elegant and beautiful Episcopal Church on Coloma Street will take place this Saturday evening with the annual distribution of books by Rev. C. C. Peirce”. Bishop William Ingraham Kip of San Francisco consecrated the building on April 15, 1866. The completed church cost about $10,500. Architect William Patton of San Francisco designed the structure. Mr. [O. Taylor of Placerville built the parish building. When the Rev. Mr. Peirce died on March 14, 1903, schools and businesses closed in his memory. The first renovation of the church was in 1927. The cost of the work amounted to $10,000. In 1938, the second restoration of the church building was undertaken. The $4,000 project included repairs to the outside of the building, new paint and a new roof for the nave. The interior also underwent extensive repairs. A coal-burning furnace was added and the brickwork at the front of the church was laid. The paneling for the sanctuary was designed and installed. In 1957, chimes were given to the parish in the memory of Fr. Peirce and other additions, such as the aluminum roof, were added.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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