“A Little Slice of Heaven Near the Beach” -- Phillips Chapel

Photo courtesy of Santa Monica Conservancy

“A Little Slice of Heaven Near the Beach” -- Phillips Chapel

by Sweiskloss Staff
February 29, 2024

In honor of Black History month, we are celebrating the oldest African American CME (Christian Methodist Episcopal) church west of the Mississippi, Santa Monica’s Phillips Chapel. Built at its current location at 4th and Bay Street in 1908, the church is remarkable for both its architectural style and deep roots in Santa Monica’s African American community. Originally a schoolhouse built in the 1890’s on Washington Street, the church purchased the property after it was damaged by a fire. With funds raised by the CME congregation and support from the SM School Board, the schoolhouse was renovated, moved to its current location and “was reborn as the first African American house of worship in Santa Monica,” according to their website. Named after Bishop Charles H. Phillips, the building was dedicated in October 1908, and according to The Daily Outlook newspaper more than 100 people attended the ceremony. Featuring a symmetrical façade, hipped roof, and double hung windows, the renovation preserved its historical Colonial Revival architecture. According to the Santa Monica Mirror, it originally included a portico with columns, which is also characteristic of that style. A two-story addition was built on the back of the structure in the 1940’s, “providing room for expansion of the pulpit and choir area in the back of the church as well as office space on the upper level.” During this time the portico was removed, and the exterior was done in beige-pink stucco. A highlight of Phillips Chapel are the 11 stained glass windows commemorating some of the prominent families who attended the church in its early years and contributed to its renovation. While it boasts simple architecture, the chapel became a “spiritual and institutional center of the earliest African American neighborhood… and the group’s greater community living in other parts of Sant Monica.” In 2005 it was designated as a City of Santa Monica landmark. Today the church is led by Reverend Doctor Nikysha Gilliam, who was appointed in 2022. In addition to religious services, the chapel offers Sunday School, Bible Study sessions, and new member classes in person or via Zoom.