:previous:The National Cathedral wasn't finished until 1990.
Darth Vader was added during the 80's while the west tower was being built.

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/about/darthVader.shtml

I had no idea.


I've always liked the Mole Antonelliana in Torino. It was originally constructed as a synagogue. It's been used as a museum since 2000. It's also currently the tallest museum in the world.

Torino, Italy
Mole Antonelliana
(167 m) 548 feet
Built 1863 - 1889

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/2533...ana-Torino.jpg
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/7830d/22926/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ino-mole01.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Torino-mole01.jpg

IIRC, Darth Vader was selected in a competition to determine a modern-day symbol of evil to complement all the millennia-old ones like the horned devil.

I know it was somewhat controversial, but I really like the Rafael Moneo designed Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/...53df71c5_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hvw/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2325/...81f4b1f6_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnjmck/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2355/...7b3e8894_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/breun/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/...8687b011_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/althouse/

Kenzo Tange's St. Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1345/...61a9290d_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9160678@N06/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/...11f7c07b_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanegen/

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1080/...c336e31a_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j0n6/

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1257/...36d75630_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9160678@N06/

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1337/...5ac8c3f7_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9160678@N06/

SOM's Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, CA...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3421/...7074c4d4_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathan_y/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/...246ae8d2_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayslupesky/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/...ac524aa9_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayslupesky/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/...f51ae74c_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emily_gingersnap/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/...52492f33_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kycheng/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/...e6d6d225_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kycheng/

Mormon churches are really badass.

The most badass one in Philadelphia is (I think) Frank Furness' 19th Street Baptist Church down in Point Breeze...it pops out at you like a big green monster!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_X...inal%20013.JPG
(own work)

And here it is on Google Maps.

My favorite Catholic Church:

New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral

(all pictures own work):

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3353318_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5044316_n.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...3_878285_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1767946_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._6227169_n.jpg

Is that image on the wall a projection of some kind?

Heres one that's more than "kinda Art Deco":

Madonna Della Strada Chapel
Loyola University, Chicago

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/...a219908724.jpg
flickr

http://www.elaraengineering.com/imag...MDS_Chapel.jpg
elaraengineering.com

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3657/...a848c0366b.jpg
flickr

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/...383e2f494d.jpg
flickr

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ARCHITECT...80420016L1.jpg
ebuild.com

The arches over the sanctuary actually contain full slit-windows all the way around that create the awesome backlighting effect behind each arch.

One we all know, the granddaddy of sweet modern churches:

Unity Temple
Oak Park, Illinois

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/unity/whole.jpg
bluffton.edu

Scroll --->

http://www.ganzelgroup.com/media/ph21.jpg
ganzelgroup.com

PS its amazing how tame Unity looks in comparison to the other structures in this thread especially considering the uproar and rejection it was faced with upon its completion. Probably the first church to really "break the mold".

Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist
Chicago, IL

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OvonoKii_d...seexterior.jpg
bp.blogspot.com

http://www.aiachicago.org/special_fe...r/17th091.JPEG
aiachicago.org

Wish I could find a better image of the interior, its really quite impressive.

No. It's made of of panels that are perforated with small holes to create the image and then those panels are placed over glass so that when light comes through, the light creates the image...

http://www.som.com/resources/content...2_21642547.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/content...3_21642544.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/categor...1_21642535.jpg
www.som.com

Over 94,000 perforations make up the image...

http://cdn.archdaily.net/wp-content/...n-ccl-4515.jpg
www.archdaily.com

now THAT is a bad-ass church!

has any architect ever worked with concrete as poetically as kenzo? i don't think so.





my contribution to the thread: St. John Brebuef Church in Niles, IL (chicagoland). i don't know who the architect was, but it's got a very bruce goff, funk-tacular excellence about it. (wish i could find a better photo of it online)

http://www.valentibldrs.com/images/stjohn.jpg
source: http://www.valentibldrs.com/images/stjohn.jpg

I normally don't like concrete like that, but the interior space of that church just blew me away. The lighting they use on it is incredible...

http://slowmedia.net/news_j/cathedral011.jpg

http://slowmedia.net/news_j/cathedral017.jpg

http://slowmedia.net/news_j/cathedral018.jpg
http://slowmedia.net/news/2008/07/so...hitectu_7.html

^ shit, if my church growing up had been that freaking bad-ass, maybe i'd still be believer!

LDS (Mormon) Conference Center
 

Not exactly a "Church", but holds the LDS General Conference twice a year... a BIG event for the Mormon Church where the Prophet, Apostles and other General Authorities speak to members.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/3...a1371e3c_b.jpg

Waterfall that cascades down the front of the building. Fed by underground water source found during excavation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark6ma...n/photostream/

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/2267860.jpg

Rooftop gardens. Mimic mountain landscape of surounding Wasatch Mountains and Valley.
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/2267860.jpg

http://ldswhy.com/qa/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/gcl.jpg

Inside the 21,000 person assembly hall.
http://ldswhy.com/qa/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/gcl.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NAOmvK-x9s...nce+center.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NAOmvK-x9s...nce+center.jpg

http://lds.org/Static%20Images/Place...ght_Detail.jpg

http://lds.org/placestovisit/eng/vis...ference-center

The Stave churches of Norway are pretty much the definition of badass.

http://ingeld.files.wordpress.com/20...e-church11.jpg
src: http://ingeld.wordpress.com/

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cXDwJoIBmh...ave+Church.jpg
src: http://www.onlywdworld.com/2009/05/e...ots-stave.html

http://www.josefderda.com/weeks/imag...5__jld8511.jpg
src: http://www.josefderda.com/weeks/index.php?showimage=480

I suppose half of the budget of the Catholic Church around the world goes to cooling this greenhouse?

:previous: I've never been there, so I can't speak to how comfortable it is inside on a hot day, but it apparantly has no air conditioning.

http://www.crystalcathedral.org/about/history.php