Second Baptist Church
historic place
Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, is a historic place. Founded in 1885, it became the first African American Baptist church in Southern California. The current Lombardy Romanesque Revival building, located in Los Angeles County, was completed in 1926. Architects Paul R. Williams and Norman F. Marsh designed this structure. The church served as the largest meeting space for African Americans west of the Mississippi before World War II. It was central to the Civil Rights Movement, hosting NAACP conventions in 1928, 1942, and 1949. Prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X delivered speeches here; Dr. King considered it his 'West Coast home.' Designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Second Baptist Church is historically significant for its role in civil rights and community development.