Religion: Something New in Churches

Frank Lloyd Wright’s attempt to give the U. S. something new in church architecture last week had proved too revolutionary for Kansas City’s public works department. Months ago aging (71), progressive Pastor Burris Jenkins of Kansas City asked Wright to design a new Community Church. Aging (71), progressive Architect Wright responded with what he called “the first completely functional church.” Last fortnight Commissioner of Buildings Frank Lloyd (no relation) Lang took a look at the plans, refused to issue a permit because they did not comply with the city’s 1927 building code. He demanded more exact specifications.

Last week a battle of words was on. Snapped Wright: “If I did supply detailed specifications on this new type of modern architecture I would have to supply engineers and architects for your department to understand them.”

Among the revolutionary features which made Commissioner Lang question the Community Church: its cantilever construction, which made the weight load appear too heavy for the footings and foundations; its heating pipes set in the floor, instead of visible radiators, its steel-&-gunite walls. Such walls have never before been built—they are made of steel props interwoven with flexible laths of steel and paper, on which is sprayed gunite (cement shot from guns)—the whole only 2¼-in. thick. Architect Wright’s plan for the Johnson Wax plant at Racine, Wis. in 1938 similarly set the Wisconsin State Industrial Commission on its ear. Its columns were neither pillars nor posts but tall stem forms, tapering from a concrete disk 20 ft. in diameter at the top to a shaft 8 in. thick at the floor. By ordinary reckoning, these slenderizing pencils would take about two tons weight each where they were called on to support twelve. In an official test the column held up 60 tons.

While church members fumed at the delay and building costs mounted, Engineer Irwin Pfuhl, recommended by the building department, was commissioned to revise the plans for the church’s foundations, so that work could go ahead on them this week. Architect Wright agreed to be a little more specific about his specifications.

If & when it is built, Architect Wright’s church (see cut} will indeed be a landmark in ecclesiastical design. An integral part of its angular, efficient structure is a triple-decker parking space for the congregation’s cars. “It is immoral and unethical to build a structure without providing for the traffic it will attract,” Wright told the church board. “You don’t want an immoral church, do you?” They did not. Though the building department dislikes its thin walls and invisible heating, it will be the first church in the U. S. to be fully air-conditioned, summer & winter. Instead of a steeple it will have pillars of light—formed by interweaving floodlights from a copper crown on the roof.

The Community Church’s auditorium will also have a movie screen, room for a 100-piece orchestra in front of the chancel, no windows. “It’s not necessary to look out of an auditorium,” says he. “One can much more profitably pay attention to what is happening inside.” More usual features: a chapel, nine Sunday-school classrooms, a large “rumpus” room for games, a banquet hall, open-air terraces. And, says Dr. Jenkins proudly, the whole building is to cost only $175,000. For a traditional church including all that, his congregation would have had to pay at least $300,000.