St. Stephen's Epsicopal Church, San Luis Obispo

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church, completed in 1873, is the oldest wooden building in the city and the first Protestant Episcopal church in the county. Built in the Carpenter Gothic style, the structure emphasizes verticality through steeply pitched gabled roofs and pointed arch windows, characteristic of Gothic Revival design but adapted in wood. Monterey pine beams from Cambria were used in its construction, giving the building a distinctly regional identity while maintaining the architectural tradition of 19th-century ecclesiastical design.

The church has seen several modifications over its long history. The sanctuary was enlarged in the 1920s, and in 1932 the chancel was rebuilt. A pipe organ was added in 1935, donated by William Randolph Hearst in memory of his mother, Phoebe Apperson. Further renovations followed in 1950, and after a fire destroyed part of the structure in 1970, it was rebuilt. Despite these changes, the church retains its original stylistic integrity and continues to function as an active parish.