Our Buildings and Gardens
(Click for rental
information)
Sanctuary
Architect
Reginald Inwood of Carmel, California designed the Sanctuary of Northbrae
Community Church, dedicated in 1967, as the Laurance L. Cross Memorial Chapel.
Completed by the Lathrop Construction Company of Berkeley, California in January
1958, it took 120 days to erect at a cost of $80,000 without furnishings.
The building is an A-frame construction of redwood, stone and glass
Artist Dixi
Hall of Laguna Beach, California designed the six pieces of Italian glass
mosaic. They include the pulpit, the lectern, the altar, and the altar
symbols: the cross, menorah, and torch. These symbols represent the
Christian, Jewish and other religious traditions from which Northbrae draws i
ts
religious perspective of openness.
The stained
glass windows designed and constructed by the Wallis Stained Glass Company of
Pasadena, California, in collaboration with Rev. Cross. The
digital-sampling electronic organ is from the Rodgers Company of Portland,
Oregon. The
Northbrae Gardens are a gift of open space and beauty from Northbrae to the
community. The gardens were the idea and great love of Rev. Cross.
It is even possible to see and enjoy a garden area from within the Chapel.
The gardens
are divided into sections, some carrying out specific themes and each containing
selected plantings. The areas include the Plaza Garden, the
Berkeley-University Garden, the California History Garden, the Appalachian
Garden of Rhododendrons, the Cross Family Garden, the Sanctuary Garden, and the
Peace Rose Walk and Rose Garden. Many
rhododendrons are in the Northbrae Gardens. Two of the varieties are so
old that even experts do not know their names. One new variety is named
for Rev. Cross, to recognize his great love for rhododendrons. There are so
many varieties in the church gardens that there is hardly a day in the year when
some rhododendrons are not in bloom.
Of special
interest in the gardens is a redwood post, 2000 years old, which stands on the
north side of the Chapel beneath two old Mexican mission bells. The plaque
on the post is a replica of the one thought for some time was by Sir Francis
Drake, claiming the territory for England. The bench beside the post is a
duplicate of the one on which Father Serra rested at the Carmel Mission in 1775.
Richmond Cross reproduced this bench. The statue
of Saint Francis of Assisi, designed and cast in bronze by Miriam Cross Shelton,
represents a young Francis about to take his first step into a life of service. Landscape
architect Mashara Imazumi designed the Sanctuary Garden, discovered behind the
altar by sliding the lower portion of the stained glass window aside.
Main Building
- Haver Hall, Parlor, Gallery, Nursery, Office spaces
941 The Alameda Berkeley, CA 94707