1904-1951 | Mysite

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309-8th Street
City of Oakland Tax Assessment Block Book, 1905
Courtesy of Oakland Public Library

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Church Front - circa 1920s

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309-8th Street in 1903
Sanborn Insurance Map, 1902-1903

Those familiar with the 1952 church layout might be puzzled that the main door depicted in the photo below led directly into the sanctuary. Unlike the current church sanctuary, congregation members entered from the street into the back of the sanctuary and the altar was on the far end away from the street.

Even with the Great Depression, the congregation remained dedicated to the church. The chapel and Sunday School rooms were rennovated in 1940, and a church organ was donated for the worship service. Congregation members and friends would find innovative ways to make the sanctuary a place worthy of God's presence. [JPCAOM-1940, -1941]

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Old Sanctuary - c1930s

Edwar Lee Story: Old Sanctuary

1904-1951: Planting Roots

The 1904 Block Book shows the church lot approximately at its current. J.D. Hammond, who was the District Superintendent, is initially listed as the property owner. Later listings are identify the “Missionary Society of the ME Church” or the “Board of Home Mission & Church ME Church.”

From 1908-1912, Husted’s Directory lists only one address for the Methodist Episcopal Chinese Mission at 311-1/2-8th Street. The 1913 Journal of the Pacific Chinese Mission indicates that the chapel and school were upstairs and the ground floor premises were rented out as stores.

After a fire in 1913 that destroyed half the block and took off one side of the property, the church was rebuilt with the chapel and school moved downstairs and a dormitory and parsonage upstairs. According to George Chan, son of Rev. Chan Lok Shang, the downstairs also contained space for a reading room.