MCM Churches of the Space Age and beyond

[PixelPixie]

Modern Phoenix is pleased to roll out another one of our features sure to change the way you think about the Valley's hertitage:

Holy Houses! Midcentury Modern Churches from the Iconic Age of Phoenix

Something happened in the 60s. All across the Valley of the Sun, congregations previously housed in borrowed spaces or sheltered by other churches suddenly erected magnificent, monumental and thoroughly Modern houses of worship. The burst in growth in this area is testament to the prosperity of families that had recently established themselves in the Valley, and their dedication to build a new city of daring new forms. It was time for the congregations, with all their various boards and committees, to project a vision of how they wished their congregations to be perceived. Architecture was advertising, after all.

And so — 40+ years having passed — Modern Phoenix has brought back one of our favorite writer/researchers, Walt Lockley, to help us make sense of the stuff.



In "The New Church Architecture", a 1966 feature in Arizona Days and Ways Magazine by Marie H. Walling, architect Blaine Drake exclaimed that "We won't have stability in church design until society settles down."

Has society settled down? We certainly have had less exciting churches erected in the 1970s and 1980, it seems. Churches of the 90s and even 2000s leave me cold. It seems the domain of church-building is a lost art full of safe committee decisions and beige exterior treatment. A few exceptions stand out, such as CoLab's St. Clare Chapel at The Casa, and the DeBartolo's Mariposa residence for the Brophy extended campus—but these are small, exceptional works in a sea of stucco.

Who do YOU think are the great church-crafters of the Valley today? Have we left your favorite space-age church out? Join in the discussion here and let us know about your favorites.

Still can't get enough? Need to see it in person? Visit our Community Map and click the BLUE path to receive a driving tour to most churches featured on ModernPhoenix.

Until you can go see the real thing, check out our report from the field.

[TMUhlmann]

If you speak of the Space Age, how can you not include Ascension Lutheran Church on Mockingbird Ln (I forget if it's Scottsdale or Paradise Valley there). We usually referred to it, when not emphacizing it's ministry of the grace of God, etc. but the church's architecture, in the context of the "Distant Early Warning" station, meaning of course that it had the look of our defense structures in Greenland. However, it's thoroughly modern and worth a drive-by if you are in the area.

Another north Phoenix/Paradise Valley church I've not seen mentioned is Neil Frisby's Capstone Cathedral which is located on Shea Blvd. just west of Tatum Blvd, south side of the road. It's the low beveled roof that rises directly from the ground and reaches a low apex where a red glass (or is it green) something-or-another (please excuse my technical jargon) lights up like a ruby (or emerald) when lit at night. Last time I passed by the site it seemed to me that it was in transition from Neil Frisby's ministry to some other organization. Nevertheless, the structure was the most talked about event to hit Shea Blvd in the days when Tatum (and Phoenix) ended abruptly at that signal light on Shea.

Since I clicked on the community map to have a look and some great MCM buildings and neighborhoods before posting this reply, I've got two more observations (maybe three) to mention. The first concerns probably the most MCM building I visited for about 150 weeks over the course of four years--Arcadia High School. Again when I was visiting this last March I was rather startled to find the Round Structure of a Third Kind buried behind a bunch of new buildings and fancy landscaping. Is the "Circle" still in there? Any scouts out and about near Arcadia HS should, in my opinion, plan to have lunch at the Tee Pee Tap Room at 42nd St. and Indian School. While not exactly MCM in details, it's terrific Mexican food and the dining room is virtually identical to what was there in the 1960's when it opened. I mean this place is exactly like every little road house I remember in Arizona--block walls, orange naugahyde booths, curtains drawn to keep out the bright sun, and probably the only change is that it's not ice cold in summer inside.

The second thing to mention is from the modern Phoenix map. I believe that there's an arrow pointing to Al Beadle's apartments called Three Fountains, which is/was on 40th St. south of Camelback, close to The Boardwalk. The description however seems to be describing The Triad, the Case Study triplex on 28th Street south of Camelback. On the map it should be right in the middle between 11 and 111.

No. 3--Is Terminal 2 at Sky Harbor still in service? It's been efficiently, if not artfully remodeled. The brilliant colors of the fabulous mural of the Phoenix arising from its funeral ashes does not show itself well anymore in the lobby. But given the ease with which the VNB office at 44th and Camelback could be obliterated, it wouldn't surprise me if the city wanted to exchange Terminal 2 for another Barry Goldwater terminal.

Finally, congrats to MP.net for what seemed to be an incredibly rich April showcase. I won't miss it next year.