Central Lutheran Church
From Archiplanet
 | Central Lutheran Church |
| Designer | Pietro Belluschi |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, USA |
| Date | 1950 to 1951 |
| Building Type | church |
| Climate | temperate |
| Context | urban |
| Architectural Style | Modern |
| Street Address | |
| Notes | Crisp cuboid forms. |
| At Great Buildings | http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/Central_Lutheran_Church.html |
Contents |
[edit] Images
 West entry. Taken 2006.06 |
 Entry, close-up. Taken 2006.06 |
 West facade & entry. Taken 2006.06 |
 Southwest corner. Taken 2006.06 |
 South facade, bell tower removed. Taken 2006.06 |
 Bell tower base, close-up view. Taken 2006.06 |
 Southwest corner detail, with bell tower removed. Taken 2006.06 |
[edit] Discussion
Commentary
"The counterpoint of vertical lines and horizontal lines, of round and rectangular shapes, is delicately balanced. The bell tower is open on two sides and gains a look of strength without bulk. The round brick apse with its indented pattern of crosses, relieves the narrow windows and wooden mullions of the nave wall. The apse is wider and higher than the nave and thereby allows clerestory and side light into the interior of the chancel."
— Jo Stubblebine, ed. The Northwest Architecture of Pietro Belluschi. New York: F.W. Dodge Corporation, 1953. p50-51.
The Creator's Words
"Architecture, unlike other arts, is not an escape from, but an acceptance of, the human condition, including its many frailties as well as the technical advances of its scientists and engineers. It may rise to great art if it achieves unity, order, and form by appropriate technical means, and if it meets its purposes with conviction. I suppose only then will we have achieved the 'Great Society.' The great architect strives for comprehension, rather than originality for its own sake; a thorough study of a problem, made within the freedom that knowledge provides, is always the greatest source of originality.
"An architect should not be afraid to vary his philosophy to suit a particular project. We must accept the enormous variety of situations that our age has created, and try to find solace in the thought that nature has evolved the orchid and weed, the whale and the mouse, the eagle and the hummingbird—all from a wonderfully complex yet orderly system. We should not attempt to formulate a rigid intellectual program for architecture. Anyway, it seems impossible for us to draw laws and conclusions that cannot be challenged.
"To have a certain consistency as a social art, architecture must have integrity and it must be based on what is possible, extracting whatever beauty may be hidden, while doing it in an understated way. Most important, probably, is structure. Not only the way in which a building is put together, or the simplicity of its structural idea, but how this is expressed without striving to make the bones be the whole answer. Structure that has been hidden, twisted or polluted as an idea, will seldom produce good architecture."
— Pietro Belluschi. from Paul Heyer. Architects on Architecture: New Directions in America. p228-229.
[edit] Maps
[edit] References
"Preservation in Portland," by Brian Libby, ArchitectureWeek No. 437, 2009.0729, p C1.1.
Paul Heyer. Architects on Architecture: New Directions in America. New York: Walker and Company, 1966. LC 66-22504. discussion p228-229.
Leland M. Roth. A Concise History of American Architecture. New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1979. ISBN 0-06-430086-2. NA705.R67 1979. discussion, p317, exterior photo, f271, p316.— Available at Amazon.com
Jo Stubblebine, ed. The Northwest Architecture of Pietro Belluschi. New York: F.W. Dodge Corporation, 1953. NA737.B43S8. interior photo of sanctuary, p51. exterior photo from road, p49.
[edit] External Links
- Church Has Cost of Cross to Bear - The Oregonian, 2008.0305
- Appalling Architectural Sin at Central Lutheran Church - Opinion at Portland Architecture, 2008.0305
