Second Baptist’s long history as a community pillar dates to 1885. The current Mediterranean Revival building, designed by African American architects Paul Revere Williams and Norman Marsh, was completed in 1926 by an all-Black construction company. Seating up to 2,500 people, the church was the largest meeting space owned by the African American community in the western U.S. before World War II. Throughout its history, the Second Baptist has hosted prominent speakers including W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, and Mary McLeod Bethune. 

Under Pastors J. Raymond Henderson and Thomas Kilgore Jr., Second Baptist was known for its contributions to the Civil Rights movement. The church was considered the “West Coast home” of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who spoke there frequently. The church played a role in mentoring a young Dr. King, as well as fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Ralph Bunche. The Second Baptist congregation has since carried on its legacy of advancing racial justice and economic opportunity, serving the community through a prison ministry, vaccine clinics, a food bank, and a domestic violence shelter. The church also helped establish senior and income-restricted apartments. 

In the summer of 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department unsuccessfully attempted to detonate illegal fireworks in the heart of a residential neighborhood, resulting in a major explosion. Seventeen people were injured by the blast, and numerous homes and vehicles were destroyed or damaged. The church sustained significant cracking of multiple original stained-glass windows. Further, as the windows awaited repairs, vandals added to the damage. Despite a $21 million settlement paid to the community’s victims, Second Baptist only received $5,000. 

An Intervention Fund grant of $46,797 in 2024 helped the church restore eight of the broken or damaged stained-glass windows, revitalizing the spirit of the congregation and allowing the church to imagine future programs in the space.

Photo by Vivian Chan