Parish History: 2004 Centennial Edition
Blessed Sacrament Parish History Book
Hollywood's First Catholic Church
The property donated by Marie Drouet was located on Seward between Santa Monica and Sunset Boulevards. After developing a proposed long term plan for the parish, Fr. Murphy decided the location on Seward wasn't ideally suited for a church. So he sold that property and used the proceeds to pay for three lots on the southeast comer of what is now Hollywood Boulevard and Cherokee Street.
While the new plots were big enough to hold a church as well as a planned parochial school and parish hall, the grounds had been long neglected and were a tangle of overgrown weeds. There was also a dilapidated boarding house on the property. The original plan was to move that structure so the church could be built on that spot, then to refurbish the boarding house so it could be used as the rectory.
But at the last minute, those carefully laid out plans had to be abruptly adjusted. Even though the property had been sold to the diocese, the tenants of the boarding house had binding leases and refused to move. With construction already scheduled to start, Fr. Murphy had no choice but to let the tenants stay and relocate the church about a 100 feet back from Hollywood Boulevard.
The groundbreaking finally took place on May 3, 1904 and building the church was truly a community event. All the work was done by volunteers from the parish and many of the raw building materials were either donated or paid for through individual contributions. To commemorate the church-raising, the names of the twenty-four families who made up the original congregation were put in a box that was buried in the foundation cornerstone during a ceremony held on the 4th of July. This cornerstone is now situated in the patio between the church and the rectory. The finished church was modest in both size and appearance. The outside was painted a plain brown and inside, the furnishings were spare. Although the small church only held 250 people, parishioners embraced it enthusiastically, as did the pastor who provided the church grounds with lush landscaping. Fr. Murphy planted palm trees and rose bushes and ivy, which soon covered the church's exterior walls. Almost immediately, Blessed Sacrament Church was considered a Hollywood landmark by the local residents, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.
The first mass held in the new church took place on September 12, 1904 and was attended by fourteen adults and twenty-one children. A month later, Bishop Conaty presided over the official dedication on October 23. Among those present throughout all the activity was Marie Drouet. "My mother took care of the altars, doing whatever she could to help the church, which was so dear to her heart," Consuelo later wrote, adding that her mother "did not live very long after the Church was built."
Mrs. Drouet died from cancer on October 5, 1905, but according to her daughter, "she died a very happy woman" having lived to see Blessed Sacrament church become a reality.
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