Thank you for this write up. I'm from the mountain west, and we don't have much art deco, but I've always thought it to be the last movement in the classical tradition. I always wondered how a church in that style would look. Now we know.
Matthew,
Thank you very much for this essay. I think that Art Deco probably should be considered to be at least on the fringe of the classical tradition.
From the number of Art Deco Catholic churches I've seen, I have always been impressed by the high level of artistry in these buildings; an artistry that has been approached by only a very few (and early) Modernist churches. Certainly it could have used some additional time for development. I think that a cornerstone of the classical tradition is the principle of successive refinement: improvement of existing designs, in an organic fashion.
And again, thank you very much for your own architectural contributions.
I performed Byrd's Mass for 4 Voices at Mary, Our Queen last May with my a capella group from Georgetown and learned a lot about it from the members of the cathedral choir. Apparently, the new cathedral is built according to a second design. Originally, it was supposed to be a cathedral in a completely traditional gothic style (there's a sketch in the choir room of this design), but the bishop who commissioned the first design died before it could be built. When the new bishop came, he demanded a more "modern" design. Additionally, this second design had to be flipped around because the land near the road couldn't support the altar - this provides somewhat of an explanation for the window above the altar.
Although its visual aesthetic may be questionable, with a reverb of about 8 seconds, the Cathedral was an amazing place to sing a piece of sacred Renaissance polyphony.
Thanks for a great article.
Thank you for including Pittsburgh's East Lib Presbyterian. It is an impressive structure that I drive or bus past frequently. It is really notable to the urban landscape of that neighborhood now that the hideous Robert Moses-esque high rise public housing project that literally straddled Penn Avenue has been demolished. Yup; 4 lanes of traffic under the projects. Obscured the view of this church approaching East Liberty from the west and dwarfed the magnificent impact of the steeple when you approached from any other direction.
Matthew,
A very interesting read, I've always kind of liked the Deco Gothic structures I've encountered. I'm not sure if you've been inside Christ the King in Atlanta, but there's a bit too much tension on the interior between ornament and asceticism for my tastes. I think the exterior is pleasant, but when you walk inside you can't tell what the building wants to be.
Part of the problem I have with many critiques of modernism is the denial of modernism's ability to convey a monastic asceticism that I can often find appropriate. Ando's Church on the Water is a good example of a very appropriate cultural response to the Japanese religious sense it supports.
Likewise ornament and tradition also have their place. My contention is that throughout the history of Christendom the Church has always supported the development of religious practice (i.e. monasticism). While traditional styles have produced beautiful monasteries, I think a minimalist vocabulary has a place in contemporary religious architecture as a complement to the ascetic life.
While I certainly have modernist tendencies in my own style, I love and appreciate the buildings of the past and would love to see contemporary expressions of these styles (one reason why I like your work Matthew). However, I'm afraid of a prima facie rejection of contemporary religious architecture based on the regrettable work of architects with little talent (and no direction, if parishes would insist on liturgical correctness in their new building projects many of the "sins" of modernism would be nullified). Hence my contention that the argument about correct church design is more liturgical than material or stylistic.
In Chicagoland, I think that St. Joseph's in Wilmette is just as impressive as Queen of All Saints, and more obviously Art Deco in its inspiration.
While I don't deny that this can be a handsome building style (and better than faux-Baroque, which is everywhere in Chicago), the examples I've seen locally have a sort of lifelessness to them - I mentioned that St. Peter's in the Loop feels like a washroom. Personally, I think that the most interesting 20th century ecclesiastical architecture, most capable of embodying the restored iconographic program of a medieval church in a contemporary style, is the Barcelona Art Nouveau, but that seems to have petered out pretty quickly.
Here is a thought experiment: you are hired by Cdl. Mahoney of L.A. to design a Cathedral, his recent one having been completely destroyed by a meteor. You are given carte blanche on the design, and $500 million budget. His only requirement is this: it must not be in a recognizably historical style, be it Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque, etc., but you have unlimited freedom otherwise.
What do you do?
Hello from Australia. Thanks for this fascinating article Matthew. We have some late Gothic/ Art Deco excursions here in Australia, most notably by the architect Walter Burley Griffin.
Mark--expect a sketch and a possible posting in the near future. I'd thought about virtually the same question when I was in LA last.
So would the meteor's impact be an "Act of God"? 
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