...in which I try my hand at Architectural Criticism
Back in the 50's and 60's, before religion started to get just TOO weird, the mainstream religions had a flirtation with modern architecture.
While some of these churches failed miserably in their execution (there is a Presbyterian church in SW Seattle that literally looks like a barn) others were classics. In Downtown Seattle, we have the ultra-mod Plymouth Congregational Church.
But, in terms of pure, unadulterated, post-war glam, very few things can match Christ The King Catholic Church in Omaha, Nebraska.
Christ the King (let's just call it CtK - which looks sort of like the Calvin Klein logo) is a rich parish in a rich neighborhood. The main structure was built in the late 50's and is just too cool, and represents a time of liberalism in the church that is unfortunately gone (Don't worry, I'm not going to get into theology, but I do want to give it some context, architecturally speaking).
The most wild aspect of this church are the stained glass windows.
The building's roof doesn't rest on the exterior walls (rather, it's supported by internal columns, sort of like a bunch of umbrells - or so the CtK website says) The windows run the entire perimeter of the building and are a great example of 1950's abstact art. The whole effect is sort of like the old TWA terminal at JFK, except the whole thing is awash in color, it's not as curvy, and you probably never saw a bunch of miniskirted stewardesses walking around in it.
Here's a picture with those columns...
All in all, it's a marked departure from the previous Catholic architecture which, while showy in it's own way, was a bit more gloomy and middle-agey. We only went to CtK a few times, for wedding, funerals and such, but to a budding MCM fan, it was always a treat, and much more interesting than regular church.
This, as I noted, was a short-lived trend in Catholic architecture. After Vatcian II, which was the big liberal thing in the 60's, church architecture got really cheesy, with lots of red brick and narrow windows and white walls. No pizazz whatsoever.
Anyway, whatever your feelings about churches in general, or Catholicism in general, I hope you enjoyed these pics of CtK.
While some of these churches failed miserably in their execution (there is a Presbyterian church in SW Seattle that literally looks like a barn) others were classics. In Downtown Seattle, we have the ultra-mod Plymouth Congregational Church.
But, in terms of pure, unadulterated, post-war glam, very few things can match Christ The King Catholic Church in Omaha, Nebraska.
Christ the King (let's just call it CtK - which looks sort of like the Calvin Klein logo) is a rich parish in a rich neighborhood. The main structure was built in the late 50's and is just too cool, and represents a time of liberalism in the church that is unfortunately gone (Don't worry, I'm not going to get into theology, but I do want to give it some context, architecturally speaking).
The most wild aspect of this church are the stained glass windows.
The building's roof doesn't rest on the exterior walls (rather, it's supported by internal columns, sort of like a bunch of umbrells - or so the CtK website says) The windows run the entire perimeter of the building and are a great example of 1950's abstact art. The whole effect is sort of like the old TWA terminal at JFK, except the whole thing is awash in color, it's not as curvy, and you probably never saw a bunch of miniskirted stewardesses walking around in it.
Here's a picture with those columns...
All in all, it's a marked departure from the previous Catholic architecture which, while showy in it's own way, was a bit more gloomy and middle-agey. We only went to CtK a few times, for wedding, funerals and such, but to a budding MCM fan, it was always a treat, and much more interesting than regular church.
This, as I noted, was a short-lived trend in Catholic architecture. After Vatcian II, which was the big liberal thing in the 60's, church architecture got really cheesy, with lots of red brick and narrow windows and white walls. No pizazz whatsoever.
Anyway, whatever your feelings about churches in general, or Catholicism in general, I hope you enjoyed these pics of CtK.
posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay @ Friday, June 09, 2006
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