Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson.
The Foursquare Church’s Founder Aimee Semple McPherson was a woman of intense passion, creativity and energy. She left a lasting impact on evangelism and on Los Angeles. She was truly a modern woman of the Art Deco era. On this docent-led field trip we will visit her 1922 home (complete with an Art Deco bathroom!!) which is now a museum, as well as her church’s sanctuary. You will learn all about Sister Aimee and see many artifacts from the life of this stylish modern faith healer.
Sister Aimee, as she was known to her followers, even captured the attention of Hollywood stars (Charlie Chaplin reportedly consulted to improve her stage design) and through her charisma and the new medium of radio, expanded her ministry globally. To be in her presence was a highly sought after experience. People waited in line for hours to hear her preach and to have a chance to be healed. To accommodate her ever-growing congregation, she built a church that still operates today in Echo Park.
In 1923, Sister Aimee founded the first Foursquare church, Angelus Temple, in Los Angeles. There, she held services presented in five languages, encouraged ‘round-the-clock prayer, and created “illustrated sermons” to bring the gospel to life through the arts near the city’s budding Hollywood scene. She opened a commissary and fed more than 1.5 million people during the Great Depression, regardless of their race, creed, or color following the church's long-standing tradition of integration.
She explored new technologies and in April 1922 became the first woman to preach a sermon over the radio, which reached all the way to the Cape Verde islands off Africa’s coast. With the opening of Foursquare Gospel-owned KFSG in 1924, she became the second woman granted a broadcast license by the Department of Commerce, which supervised broadcasting at the time.
Sister Aimee, as she was known, was one of the first preachers to wed Christian fundamentalism with Hollywood-style theatrics and tabloid-worthy controversy, including her own mysterious disappearance.
TICKETS:
$20
SOLD OUT. Tickets will go on sale to upper level members on Friday, July 12. This tour is limited to 15 people. It will be repeated on July 19.
It is only open to Art Deco Society members. Due to the limited capacity, please only purchase a ticket if you are sure that you can make it. There are no refunds.
PARKING:
Parking is in a multi-level parking structure at Sunset Blvd. and Park Avenue on Lemoyne St. There is no street address. When exiting the lot, walk to Park Avenue to find the front door of the house. This is where our tour will begin.
ADDRESS:
1801 Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
LUNCH:
We encourage you to walk up to Sunset to dine locally at Sage in the historic Jensen Recreation Center, Rodeo Express Mexican Grill and other neighborhood eateries.