Glide Memorial Church
historic place
Glide Memorial Church is located in San Francisco, California. Methodist philanthropist Lizzie Glide founded the Glide Foundation in 1929 as a memorial to her husband. The church building was completed and dedicated on January 11, 1931. It was designed in the Mediterranean Revival style. By the 1950s, the church's congregation had decreased. In 1964, Reverend Cecil Williams joined Glide Memorial, which led to a transformation of its mission. The church re-oriented to serve the Tenderloin neighborhood's marginalized communities. Beginning in 1965, Glide Memorial Church served as the headquarters for the Council on Religion and the Homosexual. It also provided a gathering space for Vanguard, an early gay liberation group. The church supported various social causes, including ethnic studies programs and addressing Japanese American incarceration. Glide Memorial Church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. This site is historically significant for its role in progressive activism and ministry.