One Ugly Church Bites the Dust (Christian Scientist in DC)

Real Clear Religion ^ | February 26, 2014 | Nicholas G. Hahn III

[C19fan]

Christian Scientists have won their long, twilight struggle against brutalism -- so says a wrecking ball at the corner of 16th and I streets in Washington, D.C.

For what seemed like an eternity, members of the Third Church of Christ, Scientist fought with architecture historians and city bureaucrats over the right to tear down their own church. Churchgoers never liked their 1971 classic brutalist structure -- an architectural style that is well, brutal -- and have even suggested it has something to do with their dwindling numbers.

[C19fan]

I have driven past that church in DC and one cannot even tell it is a church. I would have no problem seeing all brutalist structures wiped out. They are inhuman and ulgy.

[rarestia]

Blech! Brutalist architecture is cold and imparts nothing artistic. The FBI and HHS buildings in DC are built in this style, and they’re just ugly.

As I recall, this style was also associated with fascism/socialism to display a sort of uniformity or modularity with no “flair” or personal distinctions of color.

Good riddance!

[Dr. Sivana]

I have had to spend time close to two over-bearing brutalist structures, the Regentsein Library at U of Chicago,



and the Life Sciences Center at Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

I had heard that some soap opera (General Hospital?) had used the Life Sciences Center as the representation of some evil pharmaceutical corporation.



And then there is the entire University of Rochester Campus, which lokks like a remake of "Menacing Monoliths".

[HokieMom]

Looks like buildings in East Berlin.

[Vigilanteman]

The 1970s were famous for some ugly hideous architecture, especially in the world of sports. I remember when the Phillies tore down that old but classical Connie Mack Stadium and replaced it with that hideous multipurpose stadium whose name escapes me before being mercifully dynamited to make room for the present classic ballpark.

They did the same thing to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and replaced it with that hideous Three Rivers Stadium which still wasn't paid off when it was mercifully dynamited some 30 years later.

[Last Dakotan]

Brutalist architecture = Soviet architecture

[The_Reader_David]

This leads to the obvious question of what lunacy possessed the earlier generation of Christian Scientists in DC that they picked a brutalist architect (or worse a brutalist design out of design competition) for their building.

[latina4dubya]

! Brutalist architecture is cold and imparts nothing artistic.

yes--very utilitarian... no beauty... which i despise...

[darkangel82]

Yuck.

[The_Reader_David]

Actually, I know something about the brutalist movement because my closest colleague is married to a French architect (who hates brutalism which had a long and inglorious run in her homeland): it was indeed foisted on the world by leftists, not to glorify regimentation of socialism, fascism or communism, but in the spirit of Lenin’s “the worse the better” to make capitalism more oppressive by housing workers in oppressive buildings. They *knew* the stuff they were designing was ugly, indeed when they succeeded in their intent, inhumanly ugly, and wanted it that way.

[latina4dubya]

Brutalist architecture = Soviet architecture

not only are the designs lacking in beauty, but i cannot recall ever seeing one structure with beautiful color... the structures are usually an ugly, gray concrete... the buildings always look dirty, dingy, polluted... old... depressing... maybe color blocking could have improved the look...

[Conservative4Ever]

On the link are 35 pics of ugly churches over the world. #11 is a round church in Norway...I swear the first thought that popped into my head was ...lord if the rings. Then there was another one with ugly projections sticking out at ya...looked like the church was giving you the finger. I haven’t had my morning coffee yet.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Here's the eyesore that Maloney bestowed on us:

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Why were the Christian Scientists so upset? My understanding is from their perspective there never was any church there to begin with.

[TBP]

Hopefully, they can find a nicer place.

[TBP]

Why demolish it? The government would fit right in in a building like that. I’m sure they’d love to buy it.

[william clark]

Are we sure the ugliness wasn’t just an error of the mind?

[Albion Wilde]

One of the ugliest Brutalist buildings in DC, if not the world: Georgetown University Library.

Completely at odds with the rest of the campus, and a total waste of skyline over the Potomac.

[Albion Wilde]

Why demolish it? The government would fit right in in a building like that. I’m sure they’d love to buy it.

Funny; the Wikipedia page on brutalist architecture shows two DC buildings as examples: the Health and Human Services Building (Kathleen Sebelius' stomping grounds) and the FBI Building.

Things that make you go hmm.

[fungoking]

“...and have even suggested it has something to do with their dwindling numbers.”

Maybe the “automatic handwriting” for this cult is on the wall.