All Manor of Reflection

I find music boxes enchanting, especially the small glass cases where you can watch the cylinder spin its tune like a lazy water wheel. It’s as if someone opened the top, held it up to the wind, and captured a simple melody floating by. Maybe this is why I find the concept of a glass church so appealing. Welcome to California’s Crystal Cathedral.

Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove, CA

Whether or not you liked Phillip Johnson’s Glass House from a couple of posts ago (survey says “not”), you’ll concede he was creative in his use of glass.  The Crystal Cathedral is, by far, his most impressive example.  When it was constructed in 1980, it was immediately dubbed the largest glass church in the world.  By a mile.

Schuller standing in the “cheap seats”

Johnson designed the Cathedral (partnering with architect John Burgee) for Dr. Robert Schuller.  Rev. Schuller was a televangelist in the 1970s, beginning his ministry by preaching to carloads from atop the refreshment stand of a Southern California drive-in theater.  The proceeds of his Sunday morning “Hour of Power” financed the Cathedral, on a property Schuller called a “22-acre shopping center for Jesus Christ”.  As for the building itself, Schuller declared, “If a two-by-four comes between your eyeball and the changing edge of a cloud, something is lost”.  Hence, he demanded a glass church.

The Crystal Cathedral is impressive enough to look at from the surrounding parking lot; a flattened diamond floor plan covered with 10,000 rectangle panels of glued-on mirrored glass.  But walk inside – and believe me, it’s a walk – passing beneath the floating bleachers of pews and choir lofts into the explosion of the sanctuary itself, and you’ll understand why the Cathedral really “shines”.  The space is so vast that – like some of today’s enclosed football stadiums – you’ll swear you’re still outside.

The Crystal Cathedral is a glass music box of sorts.  Its organ is the fifth-largest in the world, with 16,000 pipes.  Its choir numbers into the hundreds of voices.  Needless to say, the church service needs to be grand to satisfy a room of 2,500 parishioners.

As much as I prefer a modest venue for worship, I can appreciate the megachurch approach if it’s done with a modicum of grace.  I’m not sure this is the case with the Crystal Cathedral.  Down the center aisle you’ll find a long reflecting pool, spotted with gushing fountains that suddenly cease when Schuller appears at the pulpit.  A pair of towering “Cape Canaveral” doors behind the altar swing open, so Schuller can give a wave and a prayer to the masses parked outside.  And in a full-on nod to Broadway, the Cathedral’s annual “Glory of Christmas” pageant includes a smoke machine for storm simulations, seven flying angels, and scores of live animals (everything from camels to water buffaloes).  Should this surprise me, in the cavernous glass box of a world-famous televangelist?

The Crystal Cathedral is open to the public… er, if you’re willing to take in a Catholic Mass while you’re at it.  Schuller’s Reformed Church ministry filed for bankruptcy in 2010 (in part because of the overwhelming operating costs of the facility).  Schuller himself died in 2015.  Soon after, the local Catholic diocese purchased the property at a deep discount and renamed it “Christ Cathedral”.  I hope the fountains, spaceship doors, and Broadway shows have taken a break since then.  After all, the building itself is ample reason for reflection.

Now for the latest on LEGO Fallingwater…

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LEGO Fallingwater – Update #9 (Read how this project got started in Perfect Harmony)

We worked off-model again this week, on the house itself, assembling one floor at a time before everything comes together.  80 pages (or 88%, or 203 minutes) into the build, this is what we have:

It’s convenient to halt the construction for this photo, because you can see the individual floors before they’re stacked together and hidden.  The level in the foreground is the bottom story, with the living room in back and smooth decks in front and to the right.  The other level is the middle story, a bedroom with smaller balconies to the left and right.

Next week I’ll assemble the top (and final) level, a “gallery” whose use was as much for the surrounding views as for the interior space.  Then I’ll stack the floors together, insert them into the open space you see to the right of the glass tower, and our Fallingwater model will finally be complete.

Tune in next Thursday as construction continues!  Now for another nod to Frank Lloyd Wright…

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

Since we toured a cathedral today, it seems only fitting we acknowledge one of Wright’s handful of religious structures.  Wauwatosa, Wisconsin’s Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church was one of his last designs, not completed until after his death in 1959.  Wright consulted his wife (who was raised in the faith) on its important symbols.  Accordingly, the dome and the Greek cross play significantly in the building design.  The structural arches and pillars reflected on the exterior allow the sanctuary to be an uninterrupted circular space.  The dome is not as you would imagine the interior to be, but rather the cap on an inverted dome, reflecting as a sort of bowl suspended above the sanctuary.

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

Lest you think Annunciation Church is a bit of a spaceship, the design intentionally pulls elements from its more famous predecessor, Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.  Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church is included on America’s National Register of Historic Places.

Some content sourced from Johnson/Burgee: Architecture, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation website, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.

Author: Dave

Four hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

28 thoughts on “All Manor of Reflection”

  1. I did get to see the Glory of Christmas at the Crystal Cathedral when I was younger and it was amazing. Most of the MegaChurches here in Nevada are more like Concerts probably because it draws in the younger generation.

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    1. I would’ve loved to have seen the Christmas pageant, just for the flying angels and the live animals. I’m sure the Cathedral is not the only megachurch to tell the Story on this kind of scale.

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    1. There may not be a “next LEGO project”, Neil, unless they come out with a new one I can’t resist. The rest of the models in the “Architecture Series” don’t really inspire me. Maybe if I visit the Eiffel Tower some day I’ll want to build the LEGO model. All 10,000 pieces of it!

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  4. It would be cool if the Catholic Church replaced some of the glass with stained glass. It’s an interesting design for sure, but I think it would’ve made more sense to house a museum or something.

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    1. It’s a good question, actually. I’m not sure what changes have been made since the Catholic Church took over the place. The focus of articles seems to be about its former self instead of how it looks today. I agree; a purely glass church seems very “un-Catholic”.

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  5. Wow, the Crystal Cathedral. I used to watch Hour of Power and liked it. I had heard that the Xmas Pageant was wonderful. Then Dr Schuller died and his son took over. I did not enjoy his sermons at all. He was not like his father. Interesting that they went bankrupt. Falling Water is coming along. Almost done. Ah, come on Dave, I found this one for you… ROME. https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/colosseum-10276?ef_id=Cj0KCQiAx6ugBhCcARIsAGNmMbgraoF0KUUK5LZLVdhuLapZFD_SfOcq0VBZ_49KOTt7DTq7VEqJQQcaAo7bEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!790!3!!!!x!!!18393154203!&cmp=KAC-INI-GOOGUS-GO-US-EN-RE-SP-BUY-CREATE-PLA-SHOP-BP-SP-RN-SMART_SHOPPING_BESTSELLERS

    And the Eiffel Tower

    https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/eiffel-tower-10307

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    1. The LEGO Colosseum is 9,000 pieces! That would be three times as many as the Grand Piano (and twice as expensive). It’s tempting – since I’ve actually seen it in person – but I can’t get my mind around constructing a “ruin” with that many pieces. The Eiffel Tower is a better prospect (even at a daunting 10,000 pieces) BUT… I have to pay a visit to the real one first 🙂

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    1. If Fallingwater was 10,000 pieces (like LEGO Eiffel Tower), I probably would’ve waited to build it until I’d seen it in person. That’s how I feel about the Eiffel Tower – I need to go to France first. Not to mention, it would take me a whole year of posts to track the progress of the build. I’m not sure you and my other followers have enough of a reading appetite for that!

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      1. I would be curious to see the Eiffel Tower completed, plus I am sure there would be post about all things French. The french language, French baguettes, croissants, macarons, bike tours, skiing in the Alps, Emily in Paris, Call My Agent, etc, I would be here for all of that 🙂

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      2. Ah, so the “all things French” aspect is a solid argument, Ana. I would love exploring France through blogging. Maybe you’ve convinced me to build the Tower after all. Stay tuned 😉

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  7. I’d forgotten all about the Crystal Cathedral and Dr. Robert Schuller’s approach to mega-church-y-ness. We used to watch his Sunday morning show on TV, not all the time but occasionally. He seemed nutty, then when on vacation in CA we saw the Cathedral. What a visual mess. Thanks for the flashback to shinier times.

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    1. Architecturally I find the Cathedral stunning. As a place to worship, not so much. I prefer the smaller, more intimate sanctuaries. I find it virtually impossible to concentrate in a space so big (even without all the bells and whistles!)

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  9. My father used to watch Schuller’s “Hour of Power” on TV, and I remember the voice. The place always struck me as the perfect church for the 70s (which was not a good thing). I think it encouraged a “what does Jesus mean to you” kind of faith that is defined more by the one doing the worship rather than the one being worshiped. But then I have always been attracted to more traditional church buildings.

    I remembered that the Catholic diocese there bought it, but know nothing about what they have done with it.

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    1. Living in a small town in the South now, it’s interesting how an AM radio search brings up several Christian televangelists preaching fire and brimstone. Some of them have voices that draw you in no matter what they say. Schuller had that power. But I only sought out the Cathedral for a look at the structure itself, not for worship. It’s too big and too grand for my preferences.

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  10. I have never heard of Crystal Cathedral but it’s pretty amazing just how large one would build a place of worship. You sure do find some amazing places to write about Dave, having recently written about the glass church which I found incredible as well. As for the Frank Lloyd Wright church, yes it does resemble a modern spaceship or a mosque. In a suburb not far from me (Dearborn) is a large settlement of Muslims and they have many mosques in that city, most looking like this one, probably not as ornate and no reflecting pool either. You are coming along with the Fallingwater model – good going that you will be finished with it next week!

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    1. It’s interesting I chose several glass buildings for this blog series (including the final one in NYC). This was not intentional. I was instead drawn to the overall designs, and the architects behind them.

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      1. Yes, modern design is so unique that it is beyond our comprehension sometimes. The ad agency I worked for (Young & Rubicam) moved to the Renaissance Center at the request of the client in 1979. The Ren Cen had glass elevators and they were very fast. It was a sensation that took a little getting used to – the hotel was 73 stories high and each office tower was 39 stories. You saw only glass and the view of the City. It was amazing, but felt a little odd, maybe unsafe to me at first. It seemed pretty futuristic back in 1979! I just looked and the architect was John Portman that designed the Ren Cen.

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      2. Portman also designed the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, which has similar elements to the Ren Cen, including the rounded towers and glass elevators. My older brother’s high school prom was held there. You may recall the Bonaventure from the movie “True Lies”, when Arnold Schwartzenegger rode up one of the elevators on horseback 🙂

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      3. That’s interesting Dave. The Ren Cen was considered pretty futuristic when it was built. I watched the tail end of the construction as I attended Wayne State University in Detroit and took the bus to Downtown Detroit, then a City bus to campus.

        When I was on the staff of the college newspaper in the mid-70s, our advisor made arrangements for us to tour the brand new “Detroit News” printing plant. It was considered state of the art and they built it so you went along a glass catwalk and could look down into the production area, similar to how med students look into the operating theater. It was like being in a floating glass box. One if the staff members said she was afraid of heights and could not go on the tour – the guide said “no, you’ll be fine, as it is safe and you’ll see that once we get on the catwalk.” Well she wasn’t fine … she got up there, after much trepidation and collapsed in a heap when she fainted. They had to call an ambulance to have her transported off the catwalk, out of the building and revived and vitals checked so she could return to school on the bus they had chartered. I was fine, but like the Ren Cen elevators, the sensation of standing on nothing was unsettling. Sorry, I never saw that movie … a horse in a glass elevator – wow! I am not a big movie buff to be honest.

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      4. That’s quite a story, Linda. I can somewhat relate since I get vertigo myself. You may be familiar with the transparent overlook at the Grand Canyon. I will never set foot on it!

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      5. Never put yourself in someone else’s shoes – she said she’d not do well up high and all that glass and didn’t. I have seen photos of it Dave and though it is incredible to see, you would not see me up there either. Michigan has a long swinging bridge that wouldn’t tempt me to walk across either!

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