1021 Sanchez Street

In 1776, with native Ohlone and Costanoan populations now decimated, the parcel of land that would later become Noe Valley provided agricultural support for the nearby Mission Dolores. In 1845, that land became part of the 4,443-acre Rancho San Miguel. John Horner, one of the early Mormons who came to San Francisco, purchased the land. The area was primarily settled by working-class Irish families who escaped the potato famine in Ireland. By 1881, after beginning as a children’s Sunday school, the little school became Noe Valley Presbyterian Church. In the 1884 City Directory it was listed as Noe Valley and Bernal Heights Mission. In June of that same year, it was renamed Lebanon Presbyterian Church, a reference to the cedar beams in the Ministry ‘s Edwards Hall and the Biblical reference of “Cedars of Lebanon.” It was one of the few wood-framed churches to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire. A second floor was added in 1926 for an expanding membership.

This church is a Victorian Carpenter Gothic style with Queen Anne design influences. It has served the Noe Valley community since the late 1800’s. It is a rare example of a church designed with these architectural elements and also for its association with two master architects, Charles Geddes and William Curlett. The building was designed by architect Charles Geddes and constructed in 1888. In 1891, the building was raised and a new ground floor addition was constructed, designed by architect William Curlett. Both Geddes and Curlett were locally recognized as masters in the field of architecture. Curlett was known for his downtown commissions including the Phelan Building, Shreve Building, Mutual Saving Bank, and San Francisco Union. His addition to 1021 Sanchez is significant in its own right for its successful integration with the existing building.

The building is clad in wood siding and features a gabled roof, a three-story tower at the northwest corner, double-hung wood windows with wood molding surrounds and triangular arches at the upper sash. At the front there is Queen Anne ornamentation that includes fish scale shingles beneath the front gable and a Queen Anne window with triangle arch. These features are of high artistic value. (Smith, M. 2010) The property was included on the Planning Department’s 1976 Architectural Survey and rated 4 out of 5.

The 1960’s brought significant cultural changes and social upheaval to the whole nation with San Francisco at the epicenter. Noe Valley’s original working-class families, many of whom had lived in Noe Valley for several generations, passed on or retired to the suburbs. Attracted by the low rents of a working-class neighborhood, a younger, counter-cultural generation moved in.

Among Noe Valley’s new residents, artists, activists and spiritual seekers, there was little interest in traditional religion. Attendance at Lebanon Presbyterian dwindled. Soon, except for the nursery school, the church building no longer remained open. In 1977, after 96 years in the community, there were eight remaining members, and it formally closed. However, San Francisco Presbytery was changing as well and soon gained an activist majority. By 1968, the Presbytery had become deeply divided over controversies to fund Angela Davis and other Civil Rights issues. The Presbytery appointed a commission to survey the neighborhood’s potential for a new church development more responsive to social change.  As Noe Valley became an inner-city community, Lebanon church joined with Howard Presbyterian, Steward Memorial and Trinity in 1958 to form the Inner City Council, housed at Lebanon. 

By 1977, a café-and-bookshop culture emerged in Noe Valley as was true elsewhere. Rev. Carl Smith led a “house church” style worship in a corner of the chancel. A church brochure from that time read “What can you make with an old church, a creative community, and a changing neighborhood?” The following year, the San Francisco Examiner reported that Rev. Smith had blessed a new trash can installed on 24^th Street between Noe and Castro, calling it “a useful instrument of our care of one another.”

By 1984, with the help of denominational funds, Noe Valley Ministry was incorporated, with Rev. Carl Smith installed as the Ministry’s first pastor. Former Lebanon member and charter member of the new ministry, Elizabeth Rusk describes the church’s new phase as “A new branch grafted into the roots of the past.” The church sponsored a series of events on the medical, political, and spiritual aspects of AIDS in the 1980s titled “Gays and Straights Together”.  Its congregation welcomed gay members who faced homophobia within and outside the church, especially after a member of the congregation became ill with AIDS. (Graves & Watson, 2015).  At a time when AIDS was impacting mostly the LGBTQ+ community, the Ministry courageously came forward to present the need to understand what AIDS was about and provide a supportive place to learn without judgement. By 2002, this small congregation of under fifty members brought its historic 1888 building into the 21^st century, making it ADA accessible and seismically safe. A tri-faith dream blossomed with the hope the renovated building could welcome Jewish and Islamic communities of faith under the cedar timbers. The last renovations happened between 2011-2014.  When tour goers visit the Ministry building, they will learn about the tradition of community childcare since the 1970’s. The current school is Hola Kids, a Spanish Immersion Preschool that is part of Language in Action, which arrived after the latest renovation.

Ever a changing community, the Noe Valley neighborhood has transitioned again, having welcomed a new wave, at first tech outliers and later tech professionals and their families. They were attracted by the proximity to emerging new tech industries, by its warm and friendly community tradition and, in some areas, by great city views. Noe Valley Ministry is about to move into an exciting new future with a new pastor starting in the fall! The Ministry’s goal is to integrate even more with the Noe Valley neighborhood yet always provide its sacred space for spiritual growth and care for its community. Look for updates soon!

Graves, D. and Watson, S. (2015). Citywide Historic Context Statement for LGBTQ History in San Francisco (Donna Graves and Shayne Watson-2015)  PP. 257 & 268

Tate, Jeanne Choy (2023). History of Noe Valley Ministry Presbyterian Church

Smith, M. (2010, November 15). Historic Resource Evaluation Response Memorandum for 1021 Sanchez Street from Michael Smith, Preservation Technical Specialist, to Brett Bollinger, Planner, Major Environmental Analysis.

Edited by Gail Baugh, 2024