For churches, radical transportation changes are realistically a long-term concern, However, as churches make long-term decisions, it is not too soon to think about the consequences of at least some of these trends. News out of the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show is all about transportation. Self-driving cars are no longer experimental and dozens of companies are promoting alternatives to taxis, ... Read More
Considering so many events last year were so unprecedented I’ve been thinking about the effects of all these changes. A number of not so obvious trends are poised to have big impacts on the built environment. What's more, these trends may change the way we understand spiritual places and worship environments. Salem Lutheran Church in Houston - Rising waters spared the new sactuary, but old ... Read More
It may not be a celebrity sighting, but for the contemporary art world, may as well be! World renown muralist, activist, and street artist, Shephard Fairey left his signature mark on a few left-over buildings in Austin not too long ago. These images are two variations of Fairey’s iconic graphic, OBEY GIANT which has appeared on posters, stickers, murals, and in art galleries all over the world. ... Read More
A new street art piece appeared this weekend at one of the main intersections in the Mueller development. Local street artists have been officially and unofficially using anonymous utility boxes as canvases for some wonderful images. This new offering is from celebrated local artist, Truth. My wife and I noticed this striking image and had to stop for a closer look. The composition is a direct ... Read More
Full disclosure, our firm was involved in moving St. Boniface to a new facility, leaving a Mid Century Modern church vacant and ready for a new use. The congregation built a distinctive stone edifice in 1960 close to the active creek that runs along the edge of the unincorporated town of Comfort, Texas. That creek is the reason for the church’s relocation in 2006. On two separate occasions, major ... Read More
In the 1980’s, the exterior of Christus Church in Hanover was preserved as a significant Neo-Gothic historic landmark. But the interior remained in a deteriorated state. The congregation on its own was unable to afford the major upgrades needed to maintain the soaring 19th Century nave. So local officials stepped in to assist. Solving two problems at once, Hanover leaders arranged to renovate the ... Read More
A Canadian settlement north of Quebec City has given up its landmark modern church. But the old building didn’t come down easily. According to a local news station, several cables snapped and crews spent several days trying to bring the massive concrete building down. Photograph from Le Journal de Quebec, ROGER GAGNON The Notre-Dame-de-Fatima Church dates from 1962 - 1963. It was designed by ... Read More
There may be some connection between the origin of a group and the way they present themselves in later years. That seems a logical explanation for the delightful church near the center of Smithville. More than a century after its design, this building continues to be one of the more dramatic structures in the area. So it was no surprise to learn this congregation met in the local Opera House in ... Read More
It’s been shocking to learn how little I knew about the incredible diversity of faith communities in and around my old hometown of Fayetteville, Texas. Back then, as I’ve blogged before, I only knew two congregations, and both of them were Catholic. Today, traveling on Hwy 159 East of Fayetteville, I pulled over to see a worship space that I’d never seen before. What I discovered is a landmark ... Read More
Sometime in the early hours Saturday morning, a fire started in the only mosque in Victoria, Texas. A clerk from a nearby convenience store noticed the flames and called the fire department. By the time they arrived, shortly after 2 a.m., the building was already engulfed in flames. As dawn approached, the flames were extinguished, but the mosque was completely destroyed. Firefighters battle ... Read More
