About

The First Church of Tracy is a privately owned historic landmark in the city of Tracy, California. The original structure, which still stands today, was the very first church building erected within the Tracy area.

Currently nestled quietly within an older neighborhood on the western edge of the city’s downtown area, it’s easy to pass by Tracy’s original church building and maybe regard it as simply a boxy house with oddly shaped windows. To some, the building’s unique architecture may reveal its past life as an old church without providing context with regards to its age.

The old church was constructed in 1886. At that time, Grover Cleveland was the President of the United States and Coca-Cola had just been invented. It was the year the first gasoline-driven automobile was patented and the Statue of Liberty was dedicated. It was also the year Apache leader Geronimo surrendered, and Spain finally got around to abolishing slavery.

In local context, what is now called The First Church of Tracy was the first building to serve solely as a house of worship in Tracy. It was constructed less than a decade after the little town was founded, and about 25 years before the city was officially incorporated. Its original congregation, The First Presbyterian Church of Tracy, began before there was a Tracy, and it has since continued to grow within the city.

The current owners of the property are determined to ensure the historical structure continues to serve an active purpose, just as it has for more than 135 years, while preserving its historic integrity and attempting to restore the building as closely as possible to its original glory.