The suburban church : modernism and community in postwar America / Gretchen Buggeln.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Buggeln, Gretchen Townsend, author.

Contributor:

Lawrence H. Herring Memorial Fund.

Series:

Architecture, landscape, and American culture series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Protestant church buildings--Middle West--History--20th century.

Protestant church buildings.

Architecture and society--Middle West--History--20th century.

Architecture and society.

Suburban churches--Middle West.

Suburban churches.

Midcentury modern (Architecture)--Middle West.

Midcentury modern (Architecture).

History.

Middle West.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxix, 345 pages ; 26 cm.

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, [2015]

Summary:

"After World War II, America's religious denominations spent billions on church architecture as they spread into the suburbs. In this richly illustrated history of midcentury modern churches in the Midwest, Gretchen Buggeln shows how architects and suburban congregations joined forces to work out a vision of how modernist churches might help reinvigorate Protestant worship and community. The result is a fascinating new perspective on postwar architecture, religion, and society. Drawing on the architectural record, church archives, and oral histories, The Suburban Church focuses on collaborations between architects Edward D. Dart, Edward A. Sovik, Charles E. Stade, and seventy-five congregations. By telling the stories behind their modernist churches, the book describes how the buildings both reflected and shaped developments in postwar religion--its ecumenism, optimism, and liturgical innovation, as well as its fears about staying relevant during a time of vast cultural, social, and demographic change. While many scholars have characterized these congregations as "country club" churches, The Suburban Church argues that most were earnest, well-intentioned religious communities caught between the desire to serve God and the demands of a suburban milieu in which serving middle-class families required most of their material and spiritual resources."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction. New Times, New Architecture: Making a Place for Religion in Postwar Suburbia

1. The Modern Church Movement

2. The "Form-Givers" of Suburban Religion: Three Midwestern Architects

3. From Dream to Dedication: The Shared Work of Church Building

4. The A-frame Church: Symbol of an Era

5. The Suburban Sanctuary: A House for the Worshipping Community

6. Living and Learning as a Suburban Church Family: Modern Spaces for Education and Fellowship

7. Religion, Architecture, and Community in the Celebrated Suburb of Park Forest, Illinois

8. The Afterlife of the Postwar Suburban Church

Appendix A: National Council of Churches of Christ List of Eighteen "Outstanding" New Churches, 1956

Appendix B: Statement on Architecture and the Church, Composed at International Conference on Architecture and the Church, Composed at International Conference on Architecture and the Church, Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches, Château de Bossey, Bogis-Bossy, Switzerland, 1959

Appendix C: Working List of Stade Churches and Religious Buildings

Appendix D: List of Churches by Edward Dart

Appendix E: List of Churches by Edward Anders Sövik, 1949-70

Notes

Sources for Research

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-329) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Lawrence H. Herring Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

9780816694969

9780816694952

0816694958

0816694966

OCLC:

907651195

Publisher Number:

99969165971