Mormon Churches/Temples

itchy said:
Mormon churches/temples tend to be, er, wimpy "in this part of the country."
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Haha, you clearly haven't driven down I-495 outside DC lately...that temple is the most perfectly sited, beautifully imposing one I have ever seen. You literally turn a bend and there it is, perched on a hill on a direct axis with the highway...really impressive, non-Mormons in the area refer to it as "Oz" and everyone has a story of how they thought it was some magical palace when they were kids.

It was the first Mormon temple built on the East Coast, and at 288 feet it is also the church's tallest...far from wimpy. You can easily see it from the Washington Monument, which is about 10 miles to the south.

DCTemple.jpg
 
That building is truly gorgeous.

Plus it has a gold angel.
 
ablarc said:
That building is truly gorgeous.

Plus it has a gold angel.
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I saw it up close a few months ago. Awesome and frightening all at once. I'm glad the one is Belmont is comparably low-key.
 
^ God's power.

It can inspire architecture ... and often has.

If it frightened you, that's evidence it's the art of architecture.

All art is supposed to work on your emotions.
 
Absolutely! Still, with the DC temple I like that from the road you hardly know it's there (it's nestled nicely in a small forest), and when you come upon it in full view, it's astonishing to say the least. I wouldn't want something like it in full view overlooking the highway in Belmont. Mormon temples are wildly interesting, and definitely get to you on an emotional level, but just too fantasy-land for my taste. As a highway curiosity, though, I guess it would be kind of fun.
 
CDubs said:
I'm glad the one is Belmont is comparably low-key.
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Sounds like you think architecture's punches should be pulled.

Why?

Aren't there enough pulled punches in the world that NIMBYs leave us?

You sound like a sensitive guy; why would you want the world more tepid?

Isn't it lukewarm enough as it is?

We can't even come up with a "best project of the year" on this forum.

If our local Mormon Church had six spires, would we rise to the occasion and declare it "best project"?

Or are we actually scared of architecture?
 
One of the few benefits of growing up Catholic was going to a lot different, stunning beautifully ornate churches. They probably helped inspire my love of architecture.

Yet a few years ago I went to a funeral service at an old Protestant church (forgive me, I've forgotten the denomination). It was a very simple, basic, almost plain building, a 'hall' really. And honestly it felt more sacred, more spiritual and more beautiful than any Catholic church I had ever been in.
 
^ Mysterium tremendum: Greater Boston's Number One church experience is Old Ship Church in Hingham. In some small way, you'll never be the same.
 
statler said:
One of the few benefits of growing up Catholic was going to a lot different, stunning beautifully ornate churches. They probably helped inspire my love of architecture.
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Same goes for me.

ablarc said:
Sounds like you think architecture's punches should be pulled.

Why?

Aren't there enough pulled punches in the world that NIMBYs leave us?

You sound like a sensitive guy; why would you want the world more tepid?

Isn't it lukewarm enough as it is?

We can't even come up with a "best project of the year" on this forum.

If our local Mormon Church had six spires, would we rise to the occasion and declare it "best project"?

Or are we actually scared of architecture?
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You're right - I am a sensitive guy! And I'm fan also a fan of thought-provoking, awe-inspiring architecture who gets annoyed at NIMBYs. Living in the Boston area for most of my life, I've traveled to other cities and thought, "why can't we build this sort of thing in Boston?!?!" But these fantasyland temples...I dunno. They're thought-provoking and awe-inspiring, but they give me an uneasiness that to tell you the truth I cannot quite put my finger on. So I can definitely say that they're artful buildings, but they're scary artful. Maybe cartoonish is a good word - they seem unreal. It's difficult for me to take them seriously. I can admire the spectacle of them, but the kitsch factor is too great.

On further thought: though clearly I take these temples seriously, because they create this whirlwind of awe and fear within me! I'm very conflicted about them.
 
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Iam NOT feling the comfort in calling this FATESYLAND only becuase one manses fantesy is a nother mens religions. Or the vice and the verses.
 
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