Newly-lost Houston Jewel

Another closed church to report, this one is for sale and scheduled for demolition. With so many sub-par modern churches, it is a shame to lose one this good. Central Presbyterian Church in Houston combines many of the motifs of modern churches--full wall dalle de verre, glazed reveals between ceiling and walls, the jewel-box sanctuary--with sensitive localized features. The cloister in front of the church (which is away from the main street of Richmond Avenue) and the treatment of the arcade strike me as particularly representative of modern Texas architecture. I'm not sure that I would call it a masterpiece, but it is a fine building that is certainly a loss. Special thanks to narrowlarry for sharing an excellent set of photos in the church's last days. A few of his photos are included below.

Chapel of St John the Baptist, Matlock

Just had to share this image of a small chapel of ease from 1897. The architect is Sir Guy Dawber, one of those which John Betjeman credits as part of the "thin stream of life and vigorous influence for the good in English architecture for the last 50 years [1883-1933]." More on Betjeman soon, but I couldn't pass up sharing this building.

The chapel is no longer in use and owned by Friends of Friendless Churches.

Nigerian High Mass, Low Building

From the New Liturgical Movement blog, a poignant reminder of the relative insignificance of church buildings compared to their use.

Or perhaps some some fodder for consideration of elemental building in the manner of Laugier. If nothing else, a challenge to assumptions about appropriate pairings of style and liturgical forms. It's just a wonderful and compelling image, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it.Still more intriguing, this structure was purpose built:

Cleveland's Vanishing Sacred Architecture

By way of a follow up to out post on Architecture in Parish Closures: St James, Lakewood, I have just discovered this book, published in June. Cleveland's Vanishing Sacred Architecture documents the sacred architecture and art of churches in danger of closure. The authors highlight the cultural diversity created by immigration which gave rise to an architectural diversity which is now, presumably, less desirable.

This title is now available through the Locus Iste Bookstore.

Ampleforth Abbey Profile

Our favorite Dominican photographer of churches, Brother Lawrence Lew, O.P., has an excellent description of Giles Gilbert Scott's Ampleforth Abbey Church on the New Liturgical Movement. I'd like to think this is one of those few 20th century churches to which none but the most curmudgeonly predisposed partisans would object. This church is ornate where it is fitting, minimal where appropriate resulting in an interior effective and focused. St Bernard of Clairvaux would be proud.

Oranje Boven

Well now, the Congregation for Divine Worship does in fact say that for vestements and colors "preference should be given to materials, forms and colors which are in use in the country." [youtube_sc url="http://www.youtube.com/v/LEWANtdtQ2o" modestbranding="1" autohide="1"]

Hartman at SOM to Design Santa Ana Cathedral

The Diocese of Orange commissioned SOM Design Partner Craig W. Hartman, KSS FAIA, to design its first purpose-built permanent cathedral. Hartman led the design of Oakland's Cathedral of Christ the Light. For this service Pope Benedict XVI created the architect a Knight of the Order of Saint Sylveter. The Oakland cathedral is such as strong design and an idiosyncratic object that it is difficult to know what to expect from this project. It is in some ways analogous to the proverbially difficult sophomore album, and we will certainly follow the progress with great interest. With potentially  two major west coast cathedrals under his belt and the Papal knighthood, Hartman will certainly cement himself as a leading figure in American Catholic church architecture.

The Cardinal's Personal Chapel

Here is an introduction to another theme of liturgical architecture: the personal chapel, home shrine or ofrenda. Decidedly vernacular, adaptive (redemptive?) reuse, these small spaces provide insight into the organic development of devotional practice and therefore have some bearing on the development of communal architecture as well. Though most can certainly be written off as kitsch from the top-down high-culture standpoint, to do so is to amputate a living member. To paraphrase Dom Hans van der Laan, individual devotion based on the communal liturgy must be seen as a derivation. So too, the personal chapel is a derivation of the communal liturgical space. But as devotion has a way of organically integrating into tradition, practice and even doctrine, these small spaces of personal preference may inform our communal building practices. This is especially important since liturgical building and expression require far more guidance from below than does liturgical practice itself.

And so I am pleased to find this high quality video introduction to the personal chapel in the preserved chambers of Venerable (soon-to-be Blessed) John Henry Cardinal Newman.

The Cardinal's Personal Chapel from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Faith in Place Ideas Competition

Sorry for the posting lag this week. I've been stalled fixing some back-of-house issues on the building database side of the site. But there are a number of very interesting posts and some very exciting building features in the works, so stay tuned. In the meantime, there is an architectural competition entitled The Building: Problem or Solution? sponsored by the organization Faith in Place.

"The Building: Problem or Solution? is an a ideas competition, managed by Faith in Place, intended to create new ideas in the design of religious buildings, and greater creativity in the re-use and modification of existing structures."

The competition has three categories: new stand-alone building, multi-congregational buildings, and multi-use building. As this is an ideas competition the plan is to have the authors of winning entries participate in a panel discussion, followed by an exhibition and publication.

The intent seems to be to create a uniform catalog of a wide variety of concepts that could be used to begin discussion with congregations concerning building projects. Based on the degree and diversity of participation this has the potential to be an incredible resource.

"And because the buildings are serving communities as a whole and are in active use, it is our hope that they will not be burdens to their congregations, but solutions for the array of problems to which religious bodies address themselves. Assuredly, this includes holding a space for sacred contemplation. But it also includes education and care of the young, advocacy with the poor and disempowered, civic engagement on critical issues of policy, and more."

For the most part remain neutral emphasizing buildability and practicality. The one exception is a disproportionate weight placed upon sustainability (6 of the 11 judging criteria pertain to sustainability, green issues and/or nature). However, the understanding of sustainability apparent in the prospectus texts reflects a far more complex notion than provided just by LEED and building technologies. At its heart are some of the most basic, traditional, and vital concerns of religious building extending beyond psychological experience (here rendered "contemplation"). These include context, stewardship,"human activity," and above all community, both in the internally faith community and its relationship and service to an external community.

Deadline for registration is 15 August 2010 and for submission is 31 August 2010.

Crying on the Inside

...and on the outside as well. Here is a video from EWTN wherein "Fr. Robert Barron, of Word On Fire Catholic Ministries and Professor at U. of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, explains why Parishes now aren't being built like the traditional parishes and the problems associated with this." I won't pick it apart line for line, though it is tempting. But it is just another incoherent and inconsistent attack on modernist buildings (claiming to be a defense of traditionalist buildings) which contributes nothing to the discussion. These are public opinions continuously voiced from both sides that depress me to the point of quitting in despair and at the same time motivate me to keep going.

And now back to finishing a post in defense of a beautiful but endangered deco Sicilian Romanesque church...