Dana Adobe to Transform Historic Nipomo Church into New Community Hub

NIPOMO, Calif. (KEYT) - The oldest church in Nipomo was recently given to the Dana Adobe and Cultural Center, which has unveiled plans to transform the building into a new community hub.

Located across the street from Jocko's Steakhouse at the intersection of Tefft Street and Thompson Road, the church has been part of the Nipomo community dating back to 1898.

Now, thanks to a gift from John and Rebecca Prewett, who owned the building after purchasing it back in 2015, the church is now owned by the local non-profit organization that runs the nearby historic Dana Adobe, Nipomo's oldest settlement that dates back to 1839.

"Last week the Adobe received the church," said Jim Corridan, Dana Adobe & Cultural Center President. "It was the original Saint Joseph's Church and began in 1898. It was used as the first church and the main church until the 1970s when a new Saint Joseph's Church was built. Since then, it's gone through a number of different things, but most recently it's been the Cavalry Church."

With the church now under their ownership, Corridan said Dana Adobe has many changes in store that he feels will benefit the community for many years to come.

"One of the biggest goals for Dana is to help make a presence for the Adobe here in downtown," said Corridan. "We also want to make this part of the center of Old Towne and the community of Nipomo so that people can utilize the space, reconnect to the history of the community and have a better understanding of the region, and so we're really excited to be able to offer this kind of as a mini community center for the citizens of Nipomo and especially here in Old Towne."

First and foremost, he said Calvary Church will remain in place and continue to hold weekly services on Sunday morning.

In addition to the church services, Corridan outlined several new features Dana Adobe leadership has planned for the site.

"We have some new ideas," said Corridan. "We're going to be making this a historical museum, a portion of it. We're also going to be making a venue here so that we can have people use the side yard and the church for different events, and perhaps most importantly, is that we're going to make this a "Visit Nipomo" center. It will be a place where tourists can stop and find out what's going on in Nipomo and in the South County region, but also utilize it as a way point to figure out where to eat, where to stay, where to visit, and where to shop in this region."

To help transform the building from its current state, plans are in the works to give the 128-year-old building a fresh makeover.

"One of our big goals is over time, as contributions and donations come in, to preserve this building and fix little things that are needing repair," said Corridan. "We'll repaint it and hopefully put in some version of of stained glass or stained glass film to replicate the stained glass that used to be in the church, so that it shines like it did before, and with luck, we'll end up back lighting all the windows so that when you drive down this corner at Thompson and Tefft, you'll see the stunning views of the original windows."

Corridan added the additions and building improvements will require some time and is hopeful the changes will be complete sometime next year.

"We're excited to be able to add this to our repertoire of preservation projects," said Corridan. "We're very involved in trying to preserve the history of the area and the conservation of the area, and so we have the the background and the knowledge of do this and make it available to the public to understand what life was like in the old days here in the public."