Let me briefly return to the Alvarado Terrace area.
The First Church of Christ, Scientist built in 1912 anchors the southwestern end of Alvarado Terrace at Alvarado Street & Hoover Street.
usc
above: This view is from Hoover Street. Alvarado Street is on the left and Alvarado Terrace is on the right.
below: The church is far left (labeled Seventh Day Adventist).
google street view
below: Here is a slightly different angle looking down Alvarado Terrace. The 'peaked'
high-rise apartment building is visible down the street.
usc
below: The 'peaked' high-rise apartment down Alvarado Terrace.
google street view
below: The First Church of Christ, Scientist viewed from Alvarado Terrace. This is an exceptionally beautiful building.
google street view
Now for the '
noirish' aspect of this post.
In 1971 Jim Jones' People's Temple established urban congregations in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In Los Angeles the Jim Jones' People's Temple inhabited the First Church of Christ, Scientist on Alvarado Terrace from 1971 to 1977.
The Los Angeles branch was the larger of the two. It's weekly offering was $15,000 to $25,000 compared to San Francisco's $8,000 to $12,000.
Jim Jones preached here every two weeks. A line of buses filled with members and Jim Jones himself would drive down from the small headquarter church in Ukiah CA and the San Francisco church.
below: A People's Temple convoy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peoples...th/5508109305/
people's temple archive/flickr
below: Leaving Ukiah CA.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peoples...th/5508109305/
below: The interior of the People's Temple on Alvarado Terrace in 1971.
LAPL
below: Many of the Los Angeles' Temple members lived in this apartment building on Alvarado Terrace.
google street view
below: This view shows the close proximity of the apartment building to the church (far left).
google street view
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peoplestemple/4801579243/
When the San Francisco church became the People's Temple headquarters (previously it was in tiny Ukiah CA)
many of the Los Angeles members eventually moved to the San Francisco area.
As we all know, the members of the People's Temple eventually committed mass suicide in Guyana in 1978.
918 members died, including 276 children after drinking cyanide laced grape kool-aid
I've obviously skipped over many details. Here is a link to fill in the blanks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoples_Temple
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