Mark L. Brack
The Preservation Alliance of greater Philadelphia
REDEFINING RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE:
TWO CRAFTS MAN CHURCHES IN CALIFORNIA
Quick! Imagine a church!
Chances are that the pictures which came to your mind were of brick and wood colonial spires, stone Gothic arches or, perhaps, classical marble interiors. These modes of envisioning a church nearly monopolized religious architecture in the United State,,, Until the arrival of 'modem' architecture after World War 11. Around the turn of the century, however, certain architects in the United States attempted to create new churches that were not based on specific historical prototypes and did not require expensive materials. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, these designers sought to create worship spaces that would reflect the humility and intimacy of the congregations that commissioned them. The Arts and Crafts movement began in nineteenth-century England as a reaction to the fussiness and pomp of much mass-produced Victorian design. Led by William Morris, the socialist reformer and artist,' Craftsman' designers produced work whose simplicity complemented the nature of the natural materials they employed. Their designs also displayed the marks of hand - craftsmanship that had been lost in the Industrial Age. Most Arts and Crafts artists admired the Romanesque and Gothic designs of the medieval period, especially the vernacular or' fo IV patterns of common buildings. But rather than copy these early designs, they reinterpreted the forms in simple, yet novel, ways.
Craftsman architecture is most familiarly associated with residential designs- -bungalows and cottages, and examples of this style can be found throughout the country. Craftsman churches, though, were much less common outside the West Coast and were usually limited to seaside, mountainous, or rural resort and vacation regions where their rustic qualities were believed to be more appropriate. On the West Coast, particularly in San Francisco Bay Area, numerous Craftsman style churches were designed and built in the early twentieth century--even in urban contexts where their unorthodox style was readily adopted and accepted. One of the earliest Craftsman churches, the Church of the New Jerusalem in San Francisco, coexists along with more traditional church architecture.
Two of the most famous architects associated with the development of Craftsman architecture, Julia Morgan and Bernard Maybeck, both began their careers around the turn of the century in the San Francisco Bay Area. Even at the start of the twentieth century, the Bay Area was renowned for its progressive and creative populace, and a number of congregations commissioned churches that would have been unimaginable elsewhere. The Bay Area alsohelped give birth to the environmental movement. Prominent clergy and lay persons were amenable to the idea that God could be appropriately honored through the use of rustic materials-particularly wood. Craftsman churches in the Bay Area became characterized by their simple and expressive use of wood and low, horizontal forms that seemed in complete harmony with the surrounding landscape. Traditional churches, on the other hand, seemed intent on distinguishing themselves from their site and nature by virture of their vertical construction. W In 1908, a Berkeley Presbyterian congregation commissioned Julia Morgan to design a sanctuary and Sunday school. Morgan's most famous work is William Randolph Hearst's Casa Grande (Hearst's Castle at San Simeon, but she became notable much earlier in life as the first woman to attend the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the most prestigious architecture school in the world. The Presbyterians wanted to build a church for the lowest possible price, so Morgan and her assistant, Walter Steilberg, produced a modest design that cost only $1.60 per square foot. The exterior makes a strong but understated impression with its broad gables, stained shingles and clapboard. Built of plain studs and planks of Douglas fir, the structural system of the walls and roof trusses are left completely exposed on the interior of the church. This structural exhibitionism forms a worship space of great visual interest. The patterns and rhythms created by the exposed beams give the feeling of being in a medieval hall, but without any actual medieval details. The fixtures of the church are equally simple. Its hanging lights use bare bulbs to make an elegant design. The small scale of the church and the warm color of the wood help create a cozy and restful space while the plain lumber serves to remind one of God's creation -- the unadorned beauty of natural materials. A Bernard Maybeck's First Church of Christ, Scientist (1910) is only four blocks away from the Morgan church. While it is obviously a more ornate and costly building, it builds upon many of the same Craftsman principles. The exterior of the structure is surrounded by concrete piers supporting wooden trellises that are similar to the stacked-up bracket system of Chinese and Japanese buildings. This pergola is planted with wisteria that enfolds the church in a green and lavender cloud in the spring.
True to his Craftsman ideals, Maybeck declared that his church was to be "the same on the inside as on the outside, without sham or hypocrisy." But unlike many Craftsman designers, he also enjoyed exploring new materials. His use of exposed concrete, metal factory-sash windows and asbestos wall sheathing was innovative, but certainly shocking- -especially for sacred purposes. Yet Maybeck brought to these materials a warm and humane touch that has rarely been replicated. The vines and redwood structural elements soften the industrial materials, creating an exterior of great charm and individuality.
The interior of the church is magical, yet has none of the high, soaring qualities of most churches. The roof is supported by a massive X-shaped wood and metal truss ornamented with medieval designs. These ceiling details are beautifully carved, and the natural color of the redwood is highlighted by gold leaf and touches of red, green and blue watercolor stencils. The ceiling creates a warm, sheltering, almost cave-like interior. Light Pours in from the undecorated side walls, where the shadows of the wisteria tit-it the glass. Maybeck's church Sanctuary, St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley California is a masterpiece of great romantic appeal, unique building that simultaneously evokes feelings of fantasy, security, intimacy and devotion.
Both the Morgan and Maybeck churches continue to be valued parts of the Berkeley landscape. The First Church of Christ, Scientist has an active congregation that is very proud of its home. Through the years, the building has required repairs, and currently some of the exterior wooden elements are suffering from rot, but the building survives as a landmark in its community.
In the early 1970s, threatened with demolition congregation needed more accommodations. Community pressure the building, and renamed them Theater, it is now used for seminars theatrical productions and other activities.
Both buildings are testaments to their architect's imaginative and efforts to redefine the character architecture. And no matter how used today, these buildings continue ate a remarkable sense of serenity, fellowship and intimacy.