Community Christian Church
Though Wright conceived of Community Christian Church as “the church of the future,” financial considerations, wartime material shortages, and restrictive building codes forced him to abandon many of his original visions for the space.
He had to do away with his plans for parking terraces, a rooftop garden and a rock ballast foundation, leaving Wright to lament that the building was only his in shape. Nevertheless, its unique rhombus form and ingenious use of pressure-sprayed concrete on corrugated steel rendered the building cutting edge. The sanctuary seats 900 people and boasts exceptional acoustics. Though Wright’s perforated dome was constructed on the roof of the chancel, the searchlights intended to illuminate his “Steeple of Light” were not installed until 1994. With the help of light sculptor, Dale Eldred, lights now project through the dome, reaching three miles into the sky.
