Ventura County Landmark No. 70: First Church of Christ Scientist, Oxnard

The First Church of Christ Scientist is one of the only remaining wooden churches from Oxnard’s early development, originally constructed between 1902 and 1908. The structure is vernacular in nature but features modest Carpenter Gothic and Mission Revival elements—including a high-pitched front gable, scrollwork, lancet stained-glass window, and a Mission Revival parapet—reflecting the modest budget and quick construction of the time (Historical Marker Database, 2022).

Initially built for the Christian Church, which was founded in 1899 with fourteen members, the congregation was led by Rev. H. E. Wilhite, a former storekeeper turned preacher known for conducting revival meetings in available spaces—often the Baptist Church on A Street. Relations between the denominations soured when Rev. Wilhite and the Baptist minister attempted to merge congregations in 1901. Following the Baptist Convention’s dissolution of the union, Rev. Wilhite completed construction of this church at the corner of C and 6th Streets, later relocating it to D and 2nd Streets (Historical Marker Database, 2022).

In 1915, the building was purchased by the First Church of Christ Scientist with funds donated by T. A. Rice. It later transferred to the Oxnard Church of Religious Science in the early 1980s. In 1989, the City of Oxnard purchased and relocated it to Heritage Square, renovating it for use as a town-hall–style facility. To this day, it stands as the only wooden church surviving from Oxnard’s founding era (Historical Marker Database, 2022).