Tallest Churches/Religious Buildings in the western hemisphere - Page 5

pj3000 · #81 Posted **Mar 16, 2011, 10:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trantor

I hate this one... and I believe most cariocas hate this thing too. Actually, I dont know anybody who thinks this thing is pretty, but then, probably there are a few people who like it.

Yeah, it's really ugly. But lit up at night, it's kinda cool and the interior is too.

http://arqarianerosa.blogspot.com/2010/12/catedral-metropolitana-do-rio-de.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eliezersanchez/favorites/page38/?view=lg

pj3000 · #82 Posted **Mar 16, 2011, 10:59 PM**

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament - Altoona, PA
60.5m (198 ft)
George Lovatt
1960
-construction began in 1924, but stopped in 1929 due to Great Depresssion

http://marathi.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=baxtheweatherman&number=114

http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc3983.php

pj3000 · #83 Posted **Mar 16, 2011, 11:14 PM**

Saint Patrick Cathedral - Harrisburg, PA
52m (170 ft)
George Lovatt
1907

Grace United Methodist - Harrisburg, PA
69m (226 ft)
??
1880

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliarda/3920557079/sizes/z/in/photostream/

KevinFromTexas · #84 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 2:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trantor

interesting how so many threads at this forum excluse from participation anything from outside US or Canada.

Quite true, but the OP said "Western Hemisphere" so that could include Brazil. I think the point was to show that even the North America isn't well known for large grand churches, that there still are some. You could say the same for South America as well. I would guess most people wouldn't automatically know of any. I'd like to see some posted from Mexico, too, because I know there's some large ones there.

And that Maringá Cathedral is really kind of neat. Do you have any photos showing the inside of the spire? It's location in the city really adds to its dramatic design. I like it. It looks like a church for these guys.

Do post more, Trantor. I'm not religious in the least little bit, but religious architecture is some of the most interesting and grand. It's amazing how there can be few large older buildings in a city, but you'll always find a beautiful old religious building in the center of town.

pj3000 · #85 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 2:54 AM**

^ I had initially called for churches in the US and Canada only for this thread, and was going to start a Mexico, Central and South America one later... just to keep things more manageable. Trantor added the Brazilian churches and we just decided to include all of the western hemisphere. Cirrus changed the thread title from "US and Canada" to "western hemisphere".

My idea initially was to see what data could be gleaned about cities' tallest churches from just focusing on the US and Canada first, since little data is available about church heights in our countries, besides the well-known ones. Whereas, in Europe and Asia, the various cathedrals, churches, mosques, etc. are often the most famous buildings in the cities... and their heights are well documented.

KevinFromTexas · #86 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 3:12 AM**

Houston, Texas
Annunciation Catholic Church
Nicholas Clayton
196 feet
Built 1869-1889

Tallest structure in Houston from 1889 to 1912. This is still Houston's tallest church.

My photo.

My photo

Houston, Texas
St. Anne's Catholic Church
Built 1939

http://www.flickr.com/photos/atelier13/2288940286/

Trantor · #87 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 3:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Quite true, but the OP said "Western Hemisphere" so that could include Brazil.

the thread title was changed after I complained. It was only churches in Canada and the USA before. I think Cirrus changed the title, after PJ asked for it, after reading my post.

Quote:

I'd like to see some posted from Mexico, too, because I know there's some large ones there.

me too, I know there are mexicans in this forum. And Argies. But most of them stick to their local forums exactly because they avoid the international forums for being too USA/Canadaish? Dont know.

Quote:

And that Maringá Cathedral is really kind of neat. Do you have any photos showing the inside of the spire? It's location in the city really adds to its dramatic design. I like it. It looks like a church for these guys.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luciano...no/3551777934/

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

http://iguatemionline.blogspot.com/2...-catedral.html

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/5798009

Quote:

Do post more, Trantor. I'm not religious in the least little bit, but religious architecture is some of the most interesting and grand. It's amazing how there can be few large older buildings in a city, but you'll always find a beautiful old religious building in the center of town.

I also like religious architecture, and if you remember, I am atheist

ChiSoxRox · #88 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 3:27 AM**

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary of Mexico City, the largest and oldest cathedral in the Americas and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It was started in 1573 and consecrated in 1656.

(toddkeister.net)

(Francisco Diaz, Flickr)

(Fotopedia)

pj3000 · #89 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 3:47 AM**

Cathedral of Saint Andrew the Apostle - Little Rock, AR
67m (220 ft)
??
1881

http://www.city-data.com/forum/city-vs-city/715615-what-your-favorite-skyscraper-your-state-16.html

Matthew · #90 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 3:50 AM**

The tallest in Winston-Salem that I'm aware of are:

Winston-Salem has many "show projects" from the early 1900s, when Winston-Salem was North Carolina's largest city. Many of the city's churches from that time are included in the list of show projects. Winston-Salem also has a few beautiful churches from the 1700s that are still in use, but they aren't tall enough to post here.

Centenary United Methodist Church
Architect: Bertram Goodhue
Was the largest church in North Carolina at the time of completion. I think it has seven storeys and is the tallest by number of floors in Winston-Salem. It's a combination of Art Deco and Neo-Gothic. The block it is located on is twice as large as most city blocks and it uses almost the entire block.

Source

Source

First Baptist Church
Architect: Dougherty & Gardner
Height: I seem to remember it is around 200 feet/60 meters?
Tallest church on the downtown skyline. Modeled after a church in London. It's beautiful inside!

Source

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Architect: Ralph Adams Cram
This building is built into the side of a tall ridge and is shorter at the main entrance and extremely tall on the back side! Cram was the nation's leading church architect at the time.

Source

Source

Wait Chapel
Architect: Jens Fredrick Larson
Height: 213 Feet/64.9 Meters
I think this is the tallest church in Winston-Salem? It was the site of two presidential debates, several presidential speeches, a practice speech for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech, along with many other speeches and it hosts many large rock concerts, due to its seating capacity.

Source

Yes, I said it hosts concerts.

Source

Source

A good look at the size:

Source

pj3000 · #91 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 4:01 AM**

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception - Denver, CO
64m (210 ft)
Leon Coquard
1912

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q58rnkC1mq8K6u1Ho9Xegw

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2087...ate-conception

pj3000 · #92 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 5:26 AM**

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist - Minneapolis, MN
72.5m (238 ft)
Edwin Hewitt
1916

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artefaqscorporation/

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yhCqUJU5416ULsaS9f3TaQ?select=PyHNuCwDkdO2RNERal8afw

pj3000 · #93 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 5:43 AM**

Cathedral of Saint Helena - Helena, MT
70m (230 ft)
A. O. Von Herbulis
1924
-tallest building in Helena

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=35928559

http://www.examiner.com/sightseeing-in-billings/the-queen-city-helena

http://www.flickr.com/photos/montanapets/

pj3000 · #94 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 6:06 AM**

Holy Family Cathedral - Tulsa, OK
76.5m (251 ft)
William Ginther
1914

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HolyFamily_Tulsa.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_FeUYVwMlPmc/TJEiZX_K_YI/AAAAAAAAEUE/8Y5TpG0mtqU/s720/Holy%20Family%20Exterior%20%20016.jpg

Fortunate4Now · #95 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 12:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj3000

St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral - Buffalo, NY
82m (270 ft)
Richard Upjohn
1870
-architect also designed Trinity Church in NYC

I noticed my wikipedia entry was edited down to 270ft even though the church is actually 275ft. Now who edited it?

and do you have a source for that 270ft height?

my 275ft value was taken from http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NH...t/73002298.pdf
7. description, 3rd paragraph.

EDIT: I just fixed it back.

KevinFromTexas · #96 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 1:04 PM**

Gorgeous buildings. I'm mostly a fan of the ones with twin towers/spires. The symmetry makes them very pleasing to the eye.

pj3000 · #97 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 3:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fortunate4Now

I noticed my wikipedia entry was edited down to 270ft even though the church is actually 275ft. Now who edited it?

and do you have a source for that 270ft height?

my 275ft value was taken from http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NH...t/73002298.pdf
7. description, 3rd paragraph.

270' is what I have from a rather detailed pamphlet about the church from the Buffalo & Western NY Society of Architectural Historians that I got when I went to a seminar/architectural history tour of Buffalo a few years ago. I don't do wikipedia or I would have entered St. Paul's on the list on that page to begin with... as you said earlier, it wasn't even listed. However, I put it on the very first page of this thread because I was familiar with the church and had the height data.

Trantor · #98 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 5:03 PM**

Porto Alegre Metropolitan Cathedral - 65 meters (the tallest point is the dome, not the towers in the front)

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/25876003

the gargoyles in it are Bugre Indians!

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheir...e_carranca.jpg

and my GoogleEarth model

The_Architect · #99 Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 7:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj3000

Not true. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception spire is 329' and the spire on the top of the Cathedral of St. Paul is 307'. Not to mention the tower of Riverside Church is 392'.

Hey don't shoot the messenger, take it up with Wikipedia that's where I quoted that section from..

Besides it also says that Cathedral of St. Paul is 247 feet, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a tower, not a spire (categories I guess), as is Riverside.

dimondpark · #**100** Posted **Mar 17, 2011, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

Here's a church that is probably amoung the tallest if you count the total rise from the surrounding ground.

Basilica of Holy Hill
Erin, Wisconsin

geraldbrimacombe.com

andrewcusack.com

The pictures don't really do it justice, this church can be seen from 20 miles away in some locations. It is also one of the earliest sites in the interior of North America to be recognized by Europeans having been the site of a Jesuit shrine to Mary as early as 1676. The summit is about 800 feet above Lake Michigan level and 400 feet around the surrounding terrain. Add a 200 foot Church to that and you have one highly visible structure.

PS, Yes Wisconsin does have a mini mountain range...

That is so pretty.