Summer 2026

180 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 6 the unique spirit of Carmel was selected with a price tag of $225,000. Funding was secured through donations from the congregation and the community, most notably through the gen- erosity of parishioners Marcia and George Hart of Pebble Beach. In fact, Marcia Hart also pur- chased a home on Atherton to serve as a rec- tory for the Seccombe family. Mrs. Seccombe was heavily pregnant at the time and Mrs. Hart ensured the home had all the conveniences an expectant mother would need, including a brand-new electric freezer stocked with choice cuts of meat. Upon arriving at their new home on moving day, the Seccombes were flabber- gasted to find the impeccably dressed Mrs. Hart in the bathroom on hands and knees scrubbing a spot that the cleaning crew had missed, just one example of many selfless gestures she made for the church and its community.Thanks to the Harts’ generosity, an endowment made 75 years ago continues to help support the church today. The Carmel architecture firm of Robert Jones was hired to design the church, with Charles Symonds (a member of All Saints) as lead architect. Other notable local projects by the firm include the Smithsonian award-winning design of the Monterey Airport and Bing Crosby’s Carmel Youth Center. The most recognized name related to the new building’s decorative arts is that of Alec Ivor Prosser’s Carmel Woodworking Company shop was located on Fifth Avenue behind the Post Office. Pearl Leighty (left) and Alec Miller help Ivor Prosser (right) load the pulpit onto a truck to drive the four blocks down Dolores to the new church. Father Al Seccombe and his wife, Betty, a renowned concert harpist, with their children (from left to right) Alfred, Will, Betsy and Meg. Photo: Arthur McEwen Photo: Arthur McEwen