THE SOUL OF A CITY SKIRBALL'S 'SACRED SPACES' EXHIBIT ILLUMINATES L.A.'S HOUSES OF WORSHIP.

Byline: Steven Rosen Correspondent

'Sacred Spaces'' is a revelation.

The new show at Skirball Cultural Center devoted to Robert Berger's photos of L.A.'s historic religious sanctuaries shows that always-growing L.A. does indeed have a preserved architectural heritage. It also offers concrete evidence of an urban soul.

``In addition to thinking of Los Angeles as not having a history, I don't think people think of it as a religious city,'' says Tal Gozani, the museum's associate curator. ``So the fact there are these places and they have a history shows it's not the superficial, glitzy city so many think it is.''

Besides this show, there are other activities in the works to call attention to and help preserve Los Angeles' historic religious sanctuaries.

``Sacred Spaces: Historic Houses of Worship in the City of Angels'' consists of 30 large and artfully composed color photographs of churches and temples built in the city between 1850 and 1952. It is on display through Nov. 27 in the Skirball's Ruby Gallery; admission is free.

Berger took these photos during a 3 1/2-year period for a book of the same name published in 2003. Previously, he had collaborated on ``Last Remaining Seats,'' a study of L.A.'s old movie theaters.

In ``Sacred Spaces,'' there are prints in which the chief focus is the architectural splendor of the religious institutions. One example is the lustrous, gold-patterned design and circular Hebrew lettering on the dome of the 1927 Wilshire Boulevard Temple. Another is the small, grinning devil located on a stairwell to the organ loft of the 1926 Church of the Precious Blood on South Occidental Boulevard. And the stylized, angular art deco lettering of a mural depicting the risen Christ at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on East Third Street identifies the building as a 1930s-era structure.

``After doing 'Last Remaining Seats,' I got very interested in the historic buildings of Los Angeles,'' Berger explains. ``There's not much left because there's the pave-paradise-to-put-up-a-parking-lot syndrome. The only buildings that bring you back into the earlier-20th and late-19th century are the religious structures, pretty much.

``They aren't that well-known because the city has the reputation for people never getting out of their cars,'' he says. ``But the diversity, the architecture and the cultural richness are fascinating.''

A key subject of the photos at the Skirball is how the ongoing demographic shifts in Los Angeles affect religious congregations. Religions once considered obscure in L.A. became popular and demanded large sanctuaries, such as Koyasan Buddhist Temple, which is depicted in the show. And the sanctuary of what is now Korean Philadelphia Presbyterian Church on South Vermont Avenue reveals both crosses and Jewish stars of David. It once was Sinai Temple East.

Berger's photo (from 2000) of the beautiful nave arcade at downtown's St. Vibiana's Cathedral reminds one that the building is now an under-construction performing-arts venue. The Roman Catholic Church has a showcase in the new downtown cathedral. Sadly, the photo of smeared wall graffiti and a smashed-in Torah shrine at Boyle Heights' abandoned Breed Street Shul reveal what can happen when a sanctuary is abandoned.

``St. Vibiana's was at a critical stage at the time (of the photos) and so was Breed Street Shul,'' Berger says. ``Both had tremendous history in Los Angeles, and both were about to come down, almost. The Jewish sanctuary was operating until the 1990s, but they didn't have enough men for a minion. They needed 10 people for a service, and you weren't going to find 10 Jews there, so they closed it. But they didn't secure the property, so the gangs moved in, people spray-painted it, and then the city moved in and put a fence around it because it had become a hazard.''

As preservation awareness grows in Los Angeles through the advocacy of Los Angeles Conservancy and other groups, both sanctuaries are on the road to preservation. St. Vibiana's is being renovated by downtown developer Tom Gilmore into a performing-arts venue for California State University, Los Angeles. And the Jewish Historical Society has taken control of the abandoned Breed Street site with plans for a small history museum and neighborhood center. ``They've covered the hole in the ceiling, they've restored the stained-glass windows, and now they're waiting to raise more funds to restore the property,'' Berger says.

There are other sanctuaries that could use help, he says. ``Several places are fantastic buildings, but the congregations are tiny and they don't have money to keep up building, like the Second Church of Christ Scientist (on West Adams Boulevard) with its blue dome. That place has a congregation of about 10 people, and the building is from 1910.''

There are also new projects in the works to heighten preservation awareness of Los Angeles' houses of worship. On Oct. 2, the Los Angeles Conservancy is sponsoring a self-driven tour of Wilshire Boulevard from downtown to the beach, called ``Curating the City.''

While it will cover more than just churches and synagogues, they will be a highlight along the Wilshire Center area just west of downtown. Among the buildings open to the public will be Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Immanuel Presbyterian Church and Wilshire United Methodist Church.

``Wilshire has the grandest collection of religious structures in Los Angeles,'' says Eric Lynxwiler, a historian who worked with writer Kevin Roderick on the upcoming book ``Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles.''

``It's this architecturally significant ecclesiastical center, but few people go to it,'' Lynxwiler says. ``They're eye candy, but the power of architecture no longer inherently brings in congregations because L.A. is so spread out and fractured. And it's a pity because they're so stunning.''

SACRED SPACES

Where: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.

When: Open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

Tickets: Free admission. Call [phone] or visit skirball.org. For information about Los Angeles Conservancy's Oct. 2 ``Curating the City'' tour of Wilshire Boulevard, which costs $35, call [phone] or visit laconservancy.org.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, South Normandie Avenue.

(2 -- color) Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral, Micheltorena Street.

(3 -- color) Breed Street Shul, Boyle Heights.

(4 -- color) St. Paul Catholic Church, South Bronson Avenue.