Stunning stained-glass windows bring new light to the First Chinese Church of Christ in Hawai‘i

Preservation Grant Supports Repairs at First Chinese Church of Christ

The church was founded in 1879 and granted a charter of incorporation by King David Kalākaua that same year. It was begun by immigrant Chinese Christians seeking to establish a church where services could be held in their native language and evangelize to the growing Chinese community.

FCCC’s original sanctuary was located on Fort Street, between Beretania and Kukui Streets. As the Chinese community spread outside of Chinatown, members sought and found a new location for the growing congregation at 1054 South King Street on the old Grandville Hotel property across from McKinley High School.

The iconic sanctuary was designed by renowned Hawai‘i architect Hart Wood and constructed by contractor Teikichi Takahashi. The building was dedicated in 1929. The design blends elements of Hawaiian regional architecture, Christian elements and symbolic Chinese decorative motifs. A steep pitched tiled roof, heavy timber trusses, and interior walls of plaster over lava rock done in the Chinese method are other notable features. Wood designed two stained glass windows in the sanctuary: a three paneled rectangular window above the entry portal on the south makai wall and a grand circular rose window in the choir loft on the north mauka wall.

A preservation grant from the Freeman Foundation, in cooperation with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, supported the repair of the stained-glass windows as part of a larger master plan of historic preservation, renovation and repair of the entire church campus. The windows had issues of bowing, cracked stained glass, corrosion of metal frames and separation between the stained glass and supports. The grant enabled these problems to be addressed in a timely manner preventing major damage or irrevocable failure.

“Challenges such as difficulty finding materials, health concerns and shipping delays during the pandemic posed some setbacks. FCCC was fortunate to have expert artisans James Erickson and James Harvey utilize their expertise and innate problem-solving skills to successfully restore the stained-glass windows,” said Lynn Zane.

“The project instilled a renewed sense of pride in our congregation’s history and a greater appreciation for the unique design of the sanctuary… It also gave the Board and the congregation an understanding of the time, effort and finances it takes to properly maintain the campus, especially the sanctuary.” Lynn Zane, FCCC Building & Grounds Committee Chairperson