St. Mark's Episcopal Church of Palo Alto

Location

600 Colorado Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94306

About

Traditional Gothic cruciform design was employed by the architects, Thomas Elston of Carmel and Otto F. Langmann of New York. St Mark’s is the first Pacific Coast church on which Langmann, a well-known Eastern specialist in the field, has worked (Note: The Parish Hall was also designed by Thomas Elston).

Construction is of reinforced concrete with a tan stucco exterior and Santa Rosa stone trim. Flat baked tiles cover the steep roof. Barrett Construction of San Francisco was the general contractor.

A striking outer feature is the fleche-type copper spire. The cross atop it stands slightly more than 100 feet above ground level (Installation of the Steeple and Steeple Memorial). The interior is enriched by hand-carved chancel furniture made by Martin Nelson of Allied Arts Guild, Menlo Park He also executed the wooden baptismal font in the north transept.

Nelson likewise carved the frame for the reredos which riases 23 feet high behind the altar. The frame is fitted with a dusky rose fabric. (Note: Martin Nelson was an extremely well known woodworker who owned the Barn Woodshop at Allied Arts).

The blue-green ceiling of the chancel serves to focus attention on the altar. Above the nave, ceiling planks were left their natural color. The ridge beam is 45 feet above the floor of the nave.