Modernism and American Mid-20th Century Sacred Architecture

Mid-20th century sacred architecture in America sought to bridge modernism with religion by abstracting cultural and faith traditions and pushing the envelope in the design of houses of worship. Modern architects embraced the challenges of creating sacred spaces that incorporated liturgical changes, evolving congregations, modern architecture, and innovations in building technology. The book describes the unique context and design aspects of the departure from historicism, and the renewal of heritage and traditions with ground-breaking structural features, deliberate optical effects and modern aesthetics. The contributions, from a pre-eminent group of scholars and practitioners from the US, Australia, and Europe are based on original archival research, historical documents, and field visits to the buildings discussed. Investigating how the authority of the divine was communicated through new forms of architectural design, these examinations map the materiality of liturgical change and communal worship during the mid-20th century.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Sacred Space Anat Geva Part I Modernists and Sacred Architecture 1 Minimal Ritual: Mies van der Rohe's Chapel of St. Savior, 1952 Ross Anderson 2 Religious Freedom and Architectural Ambition at Vassar College, 1945–54 Lindsay Cook 3 Tuskegee University’s Second Chapel – A Departure and a Continuation Arthur Clement and Roderick Fluker Part II The Parabola, Concrete, and Modern Sacred Architecture 4 Bold Modern Form: The Parabola and St. Louis’s Sacred Buildings Mary Reid Brunstrom 5 The Structural Modeling and Design of Saint Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco, 1963–71 Gabriele Neri 6 Charles Haertling’s St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, Northglenn, Colorado, 1963–64 Heather Seneff 7 A Monumental Absence: Paul Rudolph's Christian Science Building, 1965 (demolished 1985) Scott Murray Part III Denominations, Identity, and Modern Sacred Architecture 8 Creating Sacred Spaces in the Suburbs: Roman Catholic Architecture in Post-war Los Angeles, 1948–76 Michael J. Gibson 9 Critiquing Modernism: The Unorthodox Orthodox, 1950s–1960s Dean G. Lampros 10 J. Eugene Wukasch and Mid-century Lutheran Architecture in Texas, 1950–70 Jason John Paul Haskins 11 The Nexus between Lithuanian Vernacular and American Modernism Milda Richardson Part IV Modern Interiors and Liturgical Fittings 12 Seeing, not Knowing: Symbolism, Art, and "Opticalism" in Mid-century American Religious Architecture Jeremy Kargon 13 The Sanctuary Wall: Unitarian Rationalism Illuminated Ann Marie Borys 14 Tradition and Transcendence: Eero Saarinen’s MIT Chapel and the Nondenominational Ideal Joseph M. Siry Epilogue Philip James Tabb