Westminster was founded in 1889. The original building had a canvas roof, which led to WPC being called a "tent church". Eventually, we moved into the building at 801 5th St, which is now the Croatian Cultural Center. Our brick building, which houses the bell tower, sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen, and transept room, was originally built in 1915-16. The cornerstone was laid October 8, 1915, and the first worship service was held May 21st, 1916. Various aspects of the building have been updated over the years, but the structure itself and the painted windows (often mistaken for stained glass) remain largely the same. Architect Thomas Greenlees of Auburn, WA, designed the building.
Westminster's pipe organ was installed in 1927. It is a two-manual, five-rank, 377-pipe organ, and was built and installed by Sherman Clay. The organ was nearly repossessed during the great depression. Luckily, some of the women of the church baked and sold lemon pies to keep the payments current, and eventually the organ was paid off. It is one of only two traditional pipe organs currently in Anacortes, the other being at Christ Episcopal Church on 7th St.
Fun fact: the golden pipes visible at the front of the chancel are non-functional. They provide an aesthetically pleasing, symmetrical look to the front of the sanctuary. The 377 functioning pipes are hidden behind this facade.
The church manse was moved off the property and replaced with Discovery House in 2001. Discovery House includes 6 classrooms, a nursery, a conference room, restrooms, an elevator, the main church office and workroom, 4 additional staff offices, and a large basement where the Food To Go Anacortes program operates.