The Christian Church in Oxnard was said to have been convened in 1899 with only 14 members, and its first minister was Reverend H. E. Wilhite, a former storekeeper from Visalia who became a preacher and held revival meetings wherever people could gather, gaining members through on-the-spot conversions. Services were often held in the Baptist Church on A Street with the approval of Baptist leadership, but relations collapsed when Wilhite and his Baptist counterpart merged the two churches into one new denomination and Wilhite preached the opening sermon in September 1901; the Baptist Convention then quickly dissolved the union, and Wilhite went on to build this church in the summer of 1902 at the corner of C and 6th Streets. Designed and built by E. E. Pinkley at a cost of $3,176 for the church and lot, the building was moved within a few years to the corner of D and 2nd Streets and was later purchased by T. A. Rice as a meeting place for the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Today known as Heritage Square Hall, it serves as a wedding chapel and cultural event center. The building is a serviceable example of vernacular architecture, with sparse Carpenter Gothic and Mission Revival elements that suggest it was built quickly and cheaply, and it is the only wooden church remaining from Oxnard's founding period; its high-pitched roof, scrollwork, lancet stained glass window, and well-milled lumber reflect Carpenter Gothic influence, while the parapet over the entrance is Mission Revival in style.