St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church and parish in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region. The church faces Pico Boulevard at 1321 S. Mariposa Avenue in the Pico Union section of Los Angeles, California. The Mission Revival style church was built in 1904.Early historyIn the Spring of 1903, Bishop Thomas James Conaty took over as the bishop of the diocese of Los Angeles. In his first months as bishop, Bishop Conaty outlined a plan for expansion of the church in Los Angeles. He quickly acquired land to build a cathedral and three new parish churches—St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Patrick and St. Agnes. For St. Thomas, three lots were purchased in August 1903 at the southwest corner of Pico Boulevard and Hobston Street.The land acquired for St. Thomas was in a desirable and expanding residential section of the city then known as "Pico Heights" to the southwest of Downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times noted that the church would enhance property values in the area:"Property values in the vicinity will be greatly enhanced by the handsome structure. Situated in a choice residential section, it will be a landmark around which will cluster many stately homes."The first mass for the new St. Thomas the Apostle parish was held on August 16, 1903 in the chapel of the Immacualte Heart Convent in Pico Heights. An old Methodist church structure was purchased in late 1903 or early 1904 to serve as a temporary parish church until construction of a new church could be completed.