Church Design History

by
Terry Blaine and Mary Turner

Willis Polk, a prominent San Francisco architect, designed St. John's to be what he called a “mini-cathedral.” The church's wood framed, shingled exterior is in the carpenter Gothic style. On November 7, 1989, the church building was appointed as a point of historical interest in Lake County by the State of California Historical Resources Commission.

The lych gate was designed by Mr. Richard Duce, a retired set designer from one of the major studios in Hollywood. Our gate was patterned after the one at Saint Mary the Virgin Church in San Francisco to give St. John's the feeling of an old English country church.

The pews are made of solid planks of redwood. The redwood burl altar table is original, as is the baptismal font and the brass lectern.

The cross is a replica of the San Damiano Cross, beloved by St. Francis of Assisi.

The two stained glass windows on either side of the altar, depicting the Christ Child and St. John the Baptist, as a young boy, are typical of the late Victorian era.. There are eight amber leaded glass windows along both sides of the church.

The beautiful stained glass window depicting the Good Shepherd and symbols of the Four Evangelist at the west front of the church was created by Carl Huneke, Century Stained Glass Studio, San Francisco, in 1965.

The most recent addition to the church are the hand painted icons of Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist, and St. George, located on either side of the altar arch. They were transferred to St. John's from the chapel at Little Portion Hermitage.