Bay Area Museum renamed to honor Sgt. Kaila Sullivan
The former Bay Area Museum chapel and hall at Clear Lake Park is available for weddings and special events. It is now the Kaila Sullivan Chapel and Hall.
The Museum is a community treasure with historic designations for the grounds, where ancient artifacts have been found, and the building which includes a chapel built in 1901, and a lodge-like reception hall added in 1940.
If you dream of unique, historic charm for your wedding or special event, the Kaila Sullivan Chapel and Hall is perfect whether your theme is rustic farmhouse, boho or romantic lodge. The chapel is washed in white, including the original vaulted wood ceiling. Stained glass windows provide the backdrop of the altar and are especially striking as the sun sets over the lake. The reception hall, paneled in knotty pine boards, accommodates nearly 89 guests for seated luncheons or dinners and almost 200 audience-style. A small stage provides a focal point for speakers or musicians. There is a dressing room, a stage, and a small kitchen. A baby grand piano, an antique pipe organ and a modern electric organ are in the chapel, and an upright piano is in the hall. There is ample parking, and new restroom facilities comply with ADA requirements.
Rental fees are payable to Precinct2gether, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Proceeds from rental income benefit the public parks in Harris County Precinct 2.
HISTORY
Originally the building was the Webster Presbyterian Church, whose history reflects a modernizing community during some of the most exciting times in Texas history. After a previous structure was destroyed in the Great Storm of 1900, the chapel was built by the men whose own homes had also been ruined. Rebuilding the church was their first priority; their houses would come second. The Gulf Coast rice industry was started by one of the members of the church, Mr. Shimoyo Saibara, after the Emperor of Japan sent him to Texas with 300 grains of rice. His wife, Mrs. Seito Saibara, for whom the kitchen is named, was a central figure among the families in the church community. The church’s first pastor was Gertrude Seubold, believed to be the first woman ordained by the Presbyterian Church (1931).
As the surrounding area modernized, the church community outgrew the small chapel building. Subdivisions were developed to accommodate families working at NASA and nearby companies to fulfill President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon. Buzz Aldrin and John Glenn were among the astronauts who were elders of the church. It was with the Webster Presbyterian Church congregation that Buzz Aldrin took communion on the moon, as the television broadcaster asked a world of viewers to pause in silent reflection.
Eventually, the old chapel fell into disrepair. It was moved to its present location in Clear Lake Park in 1981 when a group of concerned citizens, led by Maggie Plumb DeNike, offered to refurbish it. Harris County agreed to provide the land along Mud Lake, which had been donated along with Armand Bayou by the Martyn Family, some of the original settlers of the area. The pipe organ in the chapel was also donated by the Martyns. The Bay Area Museum Guild, part of the Lunar Rendezvous Festival, operated a museum there for almost 40 years with the building itself being the artifact. Plaques throughout the grounds commemorate tree plantings in memory of significant persons associated with the Bay Area Museum.
In 2020, Commissioner Adrian Garcia initiated the change in name to honor the late Sgt. Kaila Sullivan who patrolled the area and lived in the Bay Area. Precinct 2 and Precinct2gether are delighted to be stewards of the building and grounds, and to ensure its accessibility to the public for years to come.
For more information or to book this venue, call (713)274-7275.