Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Catholic Church, Camp Long, Republic of Korea


Here's another one that doesn't really belong on this blog, but given as I took the photo, I'm posting it.

Catholic Church at Camp Long, R400, Republic of Korea. This photograph was taken in April, 1987.

Monday, February 20, 2012

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Fort Collins Colorado.


I had the digital SLR on a completely incorrect setting at the time this photograph was taken, so it's a truly horrible photograph, which is unfortunate as this is a very impressive church. I'd really hoped to get a good photograph of this church, and I should have checked the stored photo before ceasing to take further photographs.

This is a very new church, was built in 2005, and is very modern, and my guess would be that it is less than 20 years old.

The following photo, taken at this church, was taken with an Ipod.

Virginia Dale Community Church, Virginia Dale, Colorado



This is the Virginia Dale Community Church in Virginia Dale, Colorado. Virginia Dale isn't really a town anymore, and may never have been, and the church isn't in any sort of town or village. This is an example of a rural church, located in a field just south of the Virgina Dale store and post office, which is just over the Colorado-Wyoming line. Other than knowing where it is, I don't know anything else about it.

The church also has a rural cemetery next to it.

Horizon Christian Fellowship, Laramie Wyoming.

This is an extremely poor photograph of an older church located directly across from the Albany County Courthouse. I was taking photographs of the courthouse at the time, and as must be with the nature of such things, I used the same opportunity to photograph this church.

This downtown Laramie Church was built as a Presbyterian church originally.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, Cheyenne Wyoming







This is Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I unfortunately do not know the date of the church's construction.

This is one of three Greek Orthodox Churches in Wyoming, and one of four total Orthodox Churches. The church is in the downtown section of Cheyenne. The church is classically styled in the Greek fashion, with the Lord's Prayer carved into a portion of the building, as depicted above.

First Presbyterian Church, Cheyenne Wyoming




This is the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming. The church was built in 1925. The church has a set of chimes that it uses daily at certain times, which are quite audible in downtown Cheyenne. The church is across the street from the Joseph C. O'Mahoney Federal Courthouse.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Casper Wyoming


This is St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Casper Wyoming. This unusually styled church must have been built in the late 1950s or the 1960s, when this would have been on the edge of Casper, which it still somewhat is.

As a side note, this church is next to a Presbyterian Church which has not been photographed for this blog. The reason is that it is very difficult to photograph, the front portion of it bordering a major intersection and there being no way to adequately depict it. It is also of a fairly contemporary architecture style so somewhat outside the focus of the blog.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Casper Wyoming


This is the last church to be added here that falls in Casper's downtown district.

This is the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), located in downtown Casper next to Natrona County High School. I don't know anything about this particular church, other than that I cannot personally recall it ever not being there, so the church building must date back to the 1960s or 1950s.

Church of the Holy Family, Anglican Church, Casper Wyoming.


This is the first church we've added from South Casper. There are several churches in this district, which border being outside of the city limits, and in one case actually are outside the city limits.

This is the Anglican Church of the Holy Family. It's a log structure, a not uncommon style in Wyoming but this one, from the exterior, lacks some of the features we'd normally expect on a church.

Generally, as this blog is limited to architecture, and not theology or doctrine, no comment has been made on those topics anywhere here on this blog. Here a slight exception will be made as while this church is officially called the Church of the Holy Family, the sign for the church points to "Holy Family Anglican Catholic Church". This is not a Roman Catholic Church, and is not claiming to be one, nor is it a Catholic Church featuring "Anglican Use". As those who have followed these topics are aware, some formally Episcopal or Anglican parishes have come into the Roman Catholic church with the "Anglican Use", i.e., preserving the Book of Common Prayer.

This is a bit of a confusing topic, but generally what this story reflects is the development of a centuries old dispute in the Episcopal Church about the degree to which the Episcopal Church claims to be Protestant, or Catholic. The dispute is an internal one, and the Episcopal Church is not regarded as Catholic by any of the Catholic Rites nor by the Catholic Church itself. The Episcopal dispute has become particularly acute in recent years, resulting in some formerly Episcopal churches separating themselves with the distinction of naming themselves Anglican or Anglican Catholic, thereby signalling that they view themselves as looking to the theology of the Catholic Church rather than to Protestant theologies and that they regard developments in the Episcopal Church in chief (or the Anglican Communion in chief) sufficient distressing that they are separating from what would otherwise be the local Bishops, and aligning themselves with Bishops who hold their views. In Casper, this has lead to the interesting situation in which there are now two Anglican churches, (the other being the Church of the Resurrection) but they are not aligned with the same Bishops.

This note was added not to enter this dispute, but so as to make sure that this entry isn't confusing for Anglicans, should they stop by, nor for Catholics, should they stop by, as this Church is not regarded as a Catholic Church by Catholics, and it is one of two Anglican Churches in Casper.

Grace Lutheran Church, Casper Wyoming


This modern architecture Lutheran church arguably is outside of the architectural focus of this blog, but as the church is located on the edge of Casper's downtown district it is included for completeness.

This small church replaced an older, more traditionally styled church, several decades ago. I know very little about the church other than that I've been inside of it once to attend a wedding and it's surprisingly small. A class room type building adjoins it, and takes up much of the lot on which it sits.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Elk Mountain, Wyoming


I don't know, or no longer know, the denomination of this church in the rural town of Elk Mountain, Wyoming. This is, in part, because this photo was taken in 1986.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

St. Matthews Episcopal Cathedral, Laramie Wyoming



This is the impressive St. Matthews Episcopal Cathedral in Laramie, Wyoming. This photograph was one I took in 1986, but the Cathedral appears largely the same today.

One oddity about this Cathedral is that the Episcopal diocese's offices are actually in Casper, Wyoming. While I don't know for sure, I think that this likely reflects the age of this cathedral, which is fairly old. At the time it was built, only southern Wyoming was relatively populated, and Laramie was a bit of a center of culture, being the site of the university, and of certain English interests that had entered the ranching industry and headquartered there. "Ivinson Street", for example, is named after one such family. The Cathedral does have a large administrative building, built in a Gothic style, which were likely the Diocese's administrative offices.


In later years, Cheyenne or Casper would prove to be more logical administrative centers, and in recent years the Episcopal Church apparently chose Casper as their administrative headquarters.

An adjoining courtyard to the Cathedral features a nice World War One memorial.

St. Laurence O'Toole Catholic Church, Laramie Wyoming


This is St. Laurence O'Toole Catholic Church in Laramie, Wyoming.

I'll confess that while I took this photograph, I took it quite a while back. In 1986, to be specific. But the church appears the same today, as it did then.

This parish has been in existence, under this name, for quite some time. The church depicted here, however, was dedicated in 1926. The church is one of two Catholic churches in Laramie, the other being a Newman Center.

I've always thought the roof tiles of this church to be both unique, and attractive.

Monday, November 14, 2011

St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Buffalo Wyoming

This is St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Buffalo Wyoming. It was built in 1889. Oddly enough, it's one of two St. Luke's in Buffalo, the other being a Lutheran Church across town.

St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Buffalo Wyoming

Classically styled Lutheran Church, St. Luke's, in Buffalo Wyoming. It's one of two "St. Luke's" in Buffalo, which is a fairly small town, the other being the Episcopal Church.

Union Congregationalist Church, Buffalo Wyoming

I don't know the history of this Congregationalist Church just off the main street in Buffalo Wyoming. It's a classically styled rural church, but I don't know anything else about it.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Monday, October 24, 2011

Immaculate Conception Church, Rapid City South Dakota





This is Immaculate Conception Church (formerly chapel) in downtown Rapid City, South Dakota. This Catholic church is somewhat unique for the region in that it says its masses, one daily and one on Sunday morning, in Latin, using the Tridentine Mass.

The church obviously once had another name, as the corner stone reveals, which appears to have been St. Mary's, but I do not know the history of this particular church.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Cathedral of the Holy Family, Tulsa Oklahoma

  

These photographs were taken in low light, and therefore they are unfortunately not too good.

These depict Tulsa's Catholic Cathedral, Holy Family Cathedral. Like the other Tulsa churches depicted here, this Cathedral is located in a downtown district featuring many churches. The Cathedral features Gothic and Romanesque architecture and was built in 1914. It was the tallest building in Tulsa at the time it was built. It's a much better looking church than these photographs would suggest.

The church was not built as a cathedral, but became one when Diocese of Tulsa was established in 1972.

First United Methodist Church of Tulsa, Tulsa Oklahoma


This Gothic architecture church in the First United Methodist Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's located in the downtown district where the other Tulsa churches depicted here are. I do not know the age of this church but I'd guess that it was built after 1910 but before 1930.

First Presbytrian Church, Tulsa Oklahoma




 This is the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. As is obvious from the photograph, this church was undergoing extensive construction at the time I photographed it in October, 2011. The church was built in 1926.

Like the nearby Roman Catholic Holy Family Cathedral, this church as both Gothic and Romanesque features.

First Christian Church, Tulsa Oklahoma



This unusual church is the First Christian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Located in downtown Tulsa, in a district which includes several classically styled churches, this church, which I otherwise know nothing about, was dedicated in 1940.

The church has a very Byzantine appearance, and upon seeing it I mistook it for a Greek Orthodox Church. The unusual appearance is somewhat accentuated by the presence of a Christian Scientist church across the street, which I did not photograph as it was fully in shadow at the time I was there, which also features a very large dome and Greek classical features. The church is extremely Eastern in appearance, and while a beautiful structure, this choice of architecture is curious for the denomination.