First Christian Church

First Christian Church. . Completed to replace the congregations' first church building that had been destroyed by fire in August, 1908, this structure was built to withstand time and elements. This site was purchased from W.F. Matlock and selected because its was out of the "high risk" fire area but still close to the main part of town. The architectural firm of Chapman and Chapman designed the Romanesque Style structure. The stone used is called "tuff" or "tuffa" and is from a quarry in Baker County near Pleasant Valley. It was formed by ancient volcanic ash expelled by the same volcanic action that formed the layered basalt exposed throughout the Columbia River Gorge. The stone had to be shipped by rail to Pendleton, then loaded into horse drawn wagons and carefully brought over the old wooden Main Street Bridge, which could barely support a loaded wagon at that time. The stone was cut and placed by the Monterastelli Brothers Stonemasons of Pendleton. The church cost over $43,000 to build and was dedicated on March 20, 1910, though not all the rooms were yet completed. , Romanesque features are the round topped door and window bays, the crenellated towers and the Palladian style window in the South gable end. Originally, stairs descended on both the South and East side of the main entrance, as shown in the photo, but were replaced due to the steepness and the widening of the street. Even now, this historic church building continues to be used by a variety of civic organizations and groups for meetings and events.