I’ve lost count of the number of times a new-to-the-area client has commented on the number of active churches here in Los Alamos. It might surprise you to discover that the first church established here in Los Alamos is still operating in their original building. Of course, that building wasn’t constructed on the site where it stands, but isn’t that the origin of a lot of buildings here in Los Alamos?

During the war years when the Secret City was still very much a hush-hush place of people who lived and operated under the alias PO Box 1663, folks gathered and worshipped in various locations. By 1947, the town promised to become an actual town and the residents approached General Leslie R Groves about adding a chapel to the Los Alamos landscape.

A suitable building was located in Santa Fe. The structure had once been an Army Chapel, but had been used as a hospital during the war. It was moved thirty-five miles to it’s current location on “the Hill”. “On November 6, 1947, the ecumenical venture was formally chartered under the leadership of Rev. Abram Sangrey and endorsed by the Federal Council of Churches. One hundred and eighty-six residents signed the original membership role, and it grew both in numbers and in spiritual development” (LA Daily Reporter). The original church organization was heavily influenced by the “church union” movement of the 20th Century and continues with that mission today.

The United Church is located at 2525 Canyon Road in the same spot where the Chapel was placed in 1947. The church has expanded and added new buildings, but the original structure was designated a Los Alamos Historical Landmark in 2022 and is open to the public on weekdays from 9AM-3PM.

Are you ready to become part of our community here in Los Alamos? Give me a call! I’d love to chat real estate in Los Alamos with you.