Save St. Brigid Church, San Francisco

Updates posted:

LATEST

Posted May 6, 2008

Join Us at the Union Street Fair

Dear Friends,

This year's Union Street Fair will be held on May 31st and June 1st. It's the first street fair of the season and it's very popular; thousands of residents and tourists are expected to attend. A committee member lives on Union Street, a block from the start of the fair, has volunteered to host a sidewalk sale to benefit the Committee to Save St. Brigid Church.

Funds are needed in our effort to landmark the interior of St. Brigid; therefore, all proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Committee for this endeavor. This sale not only raises funds for the Committee, but will also give us the opportunity to inform and update the public regarding our accomplishments, current efforts, and the future of St. Brigid Church.

We need your help. There are two ways you can help --

1) Volunteer to help with the sidewalk sale. Volunteers are needed to help inform the public of our efforts and also to help sell items. Two hours of your time is all that's needed. You can work on either Saturday, May 31st or Sunday, June 1st. Please call us at 415-364-1511 and let us know if you can help out.

2) Donate items for the sale. We are looking for small collectible items, such as costume jewelry, tabletop/curio-cabinet figurines, small gadgets, etc. Storage space is very limited, therefore, we ask that you bring the sale donations on the days of the sale; or, please email Committee To Save St. Brigid Church for further information. We hope you can join us at the fair! We’ll be there both days from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Look for our tables.

Thank you for all your support.

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted January 22, 2008

St. Brigid Update

Dear Friends,

We wish to inform you of two upcoming events.

1. This Thursday, January 24th, the Planning Commission will meet to discuss enforcement actions against the Academy of Art University. The hearing will begin at 1:30 PM in Room 400 of City Hall. A strong showing of community support for this item is needed. Please attend if you are able.

2. The Committee to Save St. Brigid Church invites you to a Wine & Cheese Social to celebrate St. Brigid Feast Day on Tuesday, January 29th, 7:00 PM at Holy Trinity Cathedral (1520 Green Street at Van Ness). The Committee will provide a variety of refreshments and give an update about our efforts to landmark the interior of St. Brigid Church. Please bring your favorite snack to share.

For more information about these events, please call (415) 364-1511, or visit our web site at http://www.st-brigid.org.

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted December 3, 2007

HEARING ON INSTITUTIONAL MASTER PLAN ON ACADEMY OF ARTS UNIVERSITY HEARING SET FOR 6PM THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6 CITY HALL ROOM 400

Posted December 1, 2007

St. Brigid Update

Dear Friends,

We have the following upcoming events and news to report.

Upcoming Hearing – December 6th

The Planning Commission will hear public comment on the Academy of Art University's Institutional Master Plan (IMP). The hearing will take place this Thursday, December 6th at City Hall, Room 400 at 6:00 p.m.

All universities in the city are required to file a master plan with the city that describes the property they currently own and their plans for growth. You can view the Academy's IMP on the Planning Department website: http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/planning/projects_reports/IMP_11-13-07_with_appendices.pdf

Please attend and voice your concerns over the Academy's growth and use of St. Brigid Church. If you are unable to attend, written comments can be sent to Steve Wertheim's attention at 1650 Mission Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103 or email Mr. Wertheim at steve.wertheim@sfgov.org

Christmas Party – December 11th

Please join us for our annual potluck Christmas Party. This is a chance to share the holidays with old friends and to learn about the Committee's activities. The party will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Cathedral, 1520 Green Street. All are welcome to attend.

A Book Deal for Julian Guthrie

Congratulations to San Francisco Chronicle reporter, Julian Guthrie, who has signed a book deal with Houghton-Mifflin for a book on the closing of St. Brigid Church! Julian will be conducting more interviews with parishioners in the near future. She is also looking for pictures and home movies of St. Brigid Church. Please contact the Committee for more information if you'd like to share any of your photos.

Best wishes for a blessed Christmas and peaceful New Year!

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted Novemeber 16, 2007

Celebrate Christmas With Us!

7:00 PM POTLUCK ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2007,
AT HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL
1520 GREEN STREET AT VAN NESS AVE.

Join Us and Share Food and Friendship,
And Perhaps a Libation with the
Friends of St. Brigid Church!!

We will say a prayer and raise a glass to the Spirit of Christmas,
the Joy of the New Year, and to the Providence that gave us the
landmarked exterior of St. Brigid Church!

We will have a brief, informative update on the status of
our effect to landmark the interior of the church. It will
include the status of the Academy of Art University's
Institutional Master Plan and how it might affect St. Brigid's

Committee to Save St. Brigid Church

P.O. Box 641318, San Francisco, CA 94164-1318
http://www.st-brigid.org
Phone: (415) 364-1511

Posted October 10, 2007

St. Brigid Update

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday, September 30, the Chronicle published an interesting article on the Academy of Art University and the numerous properties it owns, including St. Brigid Church. Currently, their use of the church is illegal because they do not have a conditional use permit. They are working to correct this. The Academy also needs to file an Institutional Master Plan, which would inform the City of their plans for the properties they own as well as plans for future growth. The article is worth reading and is available online at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/30/CMUVRHOG3.DTL.

The Committee continues to meet and is working on landmarking the interior of St. Brigid Church. In the next month, we will need to hire professionals (an architectural historian, land use attorney) to help us with our efforts. If you are able, we’d appreciate your financial support. The Committee to Save St. Brigid Church is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt, nonprofit charitable organization under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). Contributions are deductible for tax purposes to the full extent provided by law. Any donation you can give would help us with expenses incurred with landmarking the church. We are very grateful to all of you for all your support over the years.

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted April 15, 2007

St. Brigid Update

Dear Friends,

This January, Supervisor Jake McGoldrick introduced legislation that would allow for the landmarking of publicly accessible interiors of privately owned buildings. Since then the ordinance has been reviewed and approved by the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board, the Planning Commission and the Land Use Committee. On April 10th, the Board of Supervisors reviewed the legislation and approved the measure. It will now be forwarded to Mayor Gavin Newsom for his signature. Your phone calls, emails and presence at the hearings made this possible. Thank you! The passage of this law will allow the Committee to pursue interior landmarking of St. Brigid Church.

The Committee has been working very hard on helping the ordinance pass and we believe a little celebration is in order. Mr. Myles O’Reilly, the owner/founder of O’Reilly’s in North Beach, is graciously hosting a fundraising reception on behalf of the Committee to Save St. Brigid Church at his new restaurant, O’Reilly’s Holy Grail next Sunday, April 22nd. If you have not been to O’Reilly’s Holy Grail, you are in for a treat. The restaurant is beautiful and romantic – full of art treasures, including stained glass windows by Joshua Clarke, Harry’s father. A cover charge of $35.00 will get you in the door and provide all the hors d’ouevres you can manage. There will be a no host bar. There will also be a raffle and door prizes.

At the reception you’ll be able to view wonderful photographs of St. Brigid’s Harry Clarke stained glass windows and the interior of the church. These photos were taken by Justyn Zolli, a stained glass artist. Posters of some of these photos will be available for purchase. You can also order Mr. Zolli’s photos via our website.

For more detailed information about the event, visit: http://www.st-brigid.org/doc/event20070422.htm. We hope you’ll be able to join us.

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted March 9, 2007

St. Brigid Update

Dear Friends,

In January, Supervisor Jake McGoldrick introduced legislation that would allow for the landmarking of publicly accessible interiors in privately owned buildings. The ordinance was reviewed and approved by the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board and the Planning Commission.

It will now be reviewed by the Board of Supervisors' Land Use Committee. This meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, March 19th. Please let the members of the Land Use Committee know you support Sup. McGoldrick's ordinance by calling or emailing them:

Sophie Maxwell, (415) 554-7670, Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov.org
Jake McGoldrick, (415) 554-7410, Jake.McGoldrick@sfgov.org
Gerardo Sandoval, (415) 554-6975, Gerardo.Sandoval@sfgov.org

The passage of this ordinance will allow the Committee to pursue interior landmarking of St. Brigid Church.

Crossroads Irish-American Festival

The Committee to Save St. Brigid Church is participating in this cultural festival which celebrates and explores the Irish-American experience. The festival takes place March 8 - March 17 at various locations throughout the city and is sponsored by New College 's Irish Studies Department. The events are open to the public and most events are free. Committee members will be present at the events on March 10th, 11th, and 12th to inform the public about what is happening with St. Brigid Church. For more information about this festival, please visit http://www.newcollege.edu/irishstudies/events_irishstudies.cfm.

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted February 5, 2007

St. Brigid Update

Dear Friends,

Last year the exterior of St. Brigid Church including the Harry Clarke stained glass windows became San Francisco Landmark #252. At that time the City's landmark ordinance did not explicitly allow for interior spaces to be landmarked and so the interior of St. Brigid Church was not made part of the landmark. In January, Supervisor Jake McGoldrick introduced legislation that would allow for the landmarking of publicly accessible interiors in privately owned buildings. This ordinance will be reviewed by the Landmarks Board on Wednesday, February 7th. This item is number six on the agenda. The meeting starts at 12:30 p.m. and will be held in City Hall, Room 400.

Passage of this ordinance will make it possible for the City to protect the heart of beautiful buildings and not just the facade. Please attend this meeting and show your support for historic and architecturally significant properties. Please let us know if you can attend by replying to this email or by calling our hotline at 415-364-1511.

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted January 26, 2007

Celebrate St. Brigid's Feast Day With Us!

Join us at a Wine and Cheese Social to Celebrate
the Feast Day of St. Brigid!
7:00 PM On Tuesday, January 30, 2007
At Holy Trinity Cathedral
1520 Green Street At Van Ness Avenue

We will also give a brief update on our work to date.
Please note that the petition to remove St. Brigid Church
from the Determined Eligible for the National Register will
not be discussed at the February meeting of the California
Office of Historic Preservation.

Committee To Save St. Brigid Church

Note: In December 2006, Cynthia Howse, Acting Supervisor with the Office of Historic Preservation, informed Beatriz St. John, our Chairperson, that the petition to remove St. Brigid Church from the National Register and California Register has been permanently withdrawn. We are not on the CA-OHP February meeting agenda. The Academy of Art is still free to petition at any later date, if they so choose.

Posted December 8, 2006

Celebrate Christmas With Us!

7:00 PM ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2006,
AT HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL
1520 GREEN STREET

Join Us at Our Annual Potluck Christmas Party.
Share Food and Friendship, and Perhaps a Libation with
the Friends of St. Brigid Church!

We will say a prayer and raise a glass to the Spirit of Christmas,
the Joy of the New Year, and to the Providence that gave us the landmarked
exterior of St. Brigid Church!

We will have a brief, informative update on the local status of St. Brigid Church,
the upcoming Sacramento hearing in February 2007, and our need for letters of
support and ideas for raising money to cover expenses for experts [architects /
historians / lawyers] at the Sacramento hearing.

Committee to Save St. Brigid Church

P.O. Box 641318, San Francisco, CA 94164-1318
http://www.st-brigid.org
Phone: (415) 364-1511

Posted October 20, 2006

St. Brigid Update

Dear Friends,

Please be advised that the hearing originally scheduled at the California Office of the Historic Preservation (CA-OHP) in Sacramento, has been postponed from October 27 to their next quarterly meeting on or around February 2, 2007. This is due to a continuance, requested by the Academy of Art University, of their petition for removal of St. Brigid from the National Registry.

All support letters and documents that have been sent to the CA-OHP are being retained for future review. Please continue to send support letters to the state office for the February hearing, as follows: California Office of Historic Preservation, attn: Milford Wayne Donaldson, State Historic Preservation Officer, P.O. Box 942896, Sacramento, CA 94296-0001

On Tuesday, October 17, 2006, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to make St. Brigid Church San Francisco City Landmark #252. This ordinance is awaiting signature by Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted October 7, 2006

St. Brigid Update

Dear Friends,

The last two weeks have been busy. I am happy to report that we are making progress in our efforts to 1) landmark the church and 2) keep our National Register and California Register Status.

Landmarking the Church

On September 27th, the Land Use Committee of the Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 to recommend the ordinance to landmark the exterior of the church including the stained glass windows. The ordinance was then forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors for their reading. The ordinance unanimously passed its first reading before the Board on Tuesday, October 3rd. The Board will read the ordinance one more time and vote on it on October 17th. Please let the Board of Supervisors know you support this ordinance by calling or emailing them. Here is the contact information.


Supervisor	Phone	e-Mail
Michela Alioto-Pier (District 2)	415-554-7752	Michela.Alioto-Pier@sfgov.org
Tom Ammiano (District 9)	415-554-5144	Tom.Ammiano@sfgov.org
Chris Daly (District 6)	415-554-7970	Chris.Daly@sfgov.org
Bevan Dufty (District 8)	415-554-6968	Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org
Sean Elsbernd (District 7)	415-554-6516	Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org
Fiona Ma (District 4)	415-554-7460	Fiona.Ma@sfgov.org
Sophie Maxwell (District 10)	415-554-7670	Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov.org
Jake McGoldrick (District 1)	415-554-7410	Jake.McGoldrick@sfgov.org
Ross Mirkarimi (District 5)	415-554-7630	Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org
Aaron Peskin (District 3)	415-554-7450	Aaron.Peskin@sfgov.org
Gerardo Sandoval (District 11)	415-554-6975	Gerardo.Sandoval@sfgov.org

National Register and California Register

As you know the Academy has petitioned the California Office of Historic Preservation asking that we be removed from the Determined Eligible for the National Register and from the California Register. On Wednesday, October 4th, the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board met. This matter was discussed and public comment was heard from concerned citizens. After hearing public input, the Board voted unanimously to support our retaining both our National and State status. The City will write a letter of support to the Office of Historic Preservation.

There is still time for you to write your own letter of support. Letters have to be sent by October 10th. Please send the letters to:

Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA
State Historic Preservation Officer
California Office of Historic Preservation
P. O. Box 942896
Sacramento, California 94296-0001

More information on these topics, including letter writing tips, can be found at http://www.st-brigid.org/pdf/caohpletterwritingtips.pdf.

Thank you to everyone who has shown their support for our cause by calling, writing and attending these hearings. We appreciate all your support.

Sincerely,

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted September 22, 2006

Brief Updates and How You Can Help.

Dear Friends,

Here is a brief update regarding upcoming activities for the Committee and how you can help.

Landmarking the Church

Currently, the ordinance to landmark the church is with the Land Use Committee of the Board of Supervisors. This ordinance will landmark the exterior of the church including the Harry Clarke stained glass windows.

The Land Use Committee will hear the ordinance this Wednesday, September 27. We are hopeful that the ordinance will move out of this Committee and go to the Board of Supervisors for a vote. The owners of the building, the Academy of Art University, oppose the landmarking.
Please attend this meeting and show your support for making St. Brigid Church a City Landmark! It is vital that we have a large presence at this meeting. The hearing begins at 1:00 p.m. in City Hall, Room 263.

A Challenge to our National Register and California Register Listing

The Academy of Art University recently petitioned the State Office of Historic Preservation requesting that St. Brigid Church be removed from the Determined Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) and from listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register). St. Brigid was added to these listings in 1995. Parishioners, John Herrera, James Peterson, and Robert Tokarski, helped make this possible. The report was written by Anne Bloomfield. The Committee's friend, Loren Charles, produced a 9 Minute video which helped to illustrate the beauty of the church.

There will be two hearings regarding this petition.

The City Landmark Preservation Advisory Board will hear the petition on Wednesday, October 4 at 12:00 or 12:30 pm, City Hall, Rm 400. Letters of support should be addressed to:
The State Historical Resources Commission is scheduled to take action on these requests at its regular meeting on Friday, October 27, 2006, to be held in Sacramento, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Please show your support by writing a letter to the Commission. Written comments regarding this matter should be received by the Office of Historic Preservation no later than October 10, 2006. Letters should be addressed to:

More information on these topics, including letter writing tips, can be found at http://www.st-brigid.org/pdf/caohpletterwritingtips.pdf.

Please call us at 415-346-1511 or email us at stbrigidchurch_sf@yahoo.com if you can attend the September 27 hearing. This hearing is very important and we would like to have a count of how many people can attend.

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted August 26, 2006

The Academy of Art has requested that St. Brigid be removed from the Determined Eligible for the National Register listing.

Dear Friends,

On Saturday, August 26, 2006, we received a notice from the California Office of Historic Preservation informing us that they had received a request from the Academy of Art University to remove St. Brigid Church from the Determined Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) and from listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register).

The State Historical Resources Commission is scheduled to take action on these requests at its regular meeting on October 27, 2006 to be held in Sacramento beginning at 9:00 a.m. Written comments regarding this matter should be received by the Office of Historic Preservation fifteen days before the Commission meeting -- October 12, 2006.

The reason the Academy gives for the removal of St. Brigid from these two listings is "...a recent, comprehensive review of the 1995 nomination report by an experienced architectural historian has identified substantial errors in the 1995 Nomination report, including significant incorrect, speculative, and/or conjectural information, as well as errors in professional judgment with respect to the building's integrity."

The materials sent from the Office of Historic Preservation are as follows (in PDF format):

Letter from California Office of Historic Preservation, 8-23-2006
http://www.st-brigid.org/pdf/20060823ca_ohp.pdf ... (276KB)
Meeting notice - State Historical Resources Commission, 10-27-2006 9AM
http://www.st-brigid.org/pdf/20061027ca_shrc_notice.pdf ... (107KB)
Letter from Steve Atkinson of Steefel, Levitt & Weiss, representing the Academy of Art, 6-26-2006
http://www.st-brigid.org/pdf/20060628aau_steefel.pdf ... (843KB)
National Register form prepared by Patrick McGrew, Academy of Art, 6-1-2006
http://www.st-brigid.org/pdf/20060626aau_10-900.pdf ... (5.34MB)
National Register form prepared by Anne Bloomfield, 5-16-1995
http://www.st-brigid.org/pdf/19950516sb_nrhprf.pdf ... (3.25MB)

How to Help:
Please write letter of support.

Letter writing

Beatriz St. John
Chair Pro Tem

Posted April 11, 2006

Town Hall Meeting

Please visit the link:

http://www.st-brigid.org/doc/200603aoaproposal.htm

Tuesday, April 11, 2006, 7PM
Holy Trinity Cathedral
1520 Green Street (at Van Ness), San Francisco

Committee To Save St. Brigid Church
P.O. Box 641318, San Francisco, CA 94164-1318

Voice Mail: (415)364-1511
e-Mail: stbrigidchurch_sf@yahoo.com

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