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Yesterday's post about the musical event at Boston Avenue Church did not let you appreciate the wonderful architecture of this art deco treasure. I drove over to the church this morning to try and get a few pictures that give you the idea of the style of the building. The 15 story tower soars toward the heavens in the classic style of a cathedral but with a art deco motif. Wikipedia has a very interesting article on the church HERE.
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These figures represent the Circuit Riders, the Methodist Preachers who rode from place to place all over the newly settled country to preach, baptize and marry the early settlers.
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The worshiping figures with praying hands is a motif that is repeated symbolically in every aspect of the church. This is an amazing work of architectural design
5 comments:
It looks much bigger than I expected!
I have always admired this building. I haven't had a chance to photograph it yet. My wife's great grandfather was a Methodist circuit preacher. I find it truly interesting that the architects (Bruce Goff or whomever you choose to give credit) chose to honor these preachers of the gospel in this way. Great post.
I have always loved those circuit riders. One of which is a woman.
The building is a treasure.
Speaking of Methodist Circuit Riders, my friend Mac McIlnay who is a retired Methodist pastor told me that back when they actually rode horses, the average life expectancy of a circuit rider was under 30 years. This was not a job for wimps.
Zhu - It is a very large church with a membership of around 8000. In a church this size there are a lot of "Sunday School" groups that serve as smaller communities with activities of their own. This keeps people from getting lost in the crowd. I have never been part of a church this big but they say it works.
Boston Avenue Methodist is one of the best Art Deco churches anywhere.
Great pics, thanks for the post.
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