Committee moves landmark designation for Saint James Presbyterian Church in Visitation Valley

The Land Use and Transportation Committee on June 11 voted to send a resolution to the full Board recommending landmark designation of Saint James Presbyterian Church at 240 Leland Avenue in Visitation Valley.

President Walton introduced the nomination, saying Visitation Valley currently has no official landmarks and community groups had selected Saint James — designed by Julia Morgan and long associated with Filipino congregants — as the neighborhood’s first candidate. Representatives from San Francisco Heritage and the Visitation Valley History Project described the church’s history, its centennial in 1923, and community campaigns to ensure underrepresented neighborhoods are included in the city’s landmark inventory.

Supervisors signaled support and asked to be added as cosponsors. After public testimony from multiple Visitation Valley History Project members and San Francisco Heritage, the committee voted to forward the resolution with a positive recommendation to the full Board.