Parabolic Churches

About a year ago, on a beautiful February afternoon, mrguy and I visited an amazing-looking church with a parabolic design.

Witness the awesomeness that is East Bay Korean Christian Reformed Church:

Everything about it is slightly boomerangy. Here's the back parking lot:

and around the side is a curving stairway:

that leads to the entrance / reception area. I can imagine people congregating here in the morning glow after a Sunday service, looking at the mountains across the bay.

This got me to thinking about church architecture in general, and how crazy some of it can be. Sensing that this was not the only church whose architecture incorporated a parabola, I did a search and found some gorgeous stuff.

St. Malachy Church, Burlington, MA

Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Pampulha, Brazil

Chapel Lomas de Cuernavaca (by Felix Candela, who also was responsible for the "Candela Structures" at the 1964 World's Fair)*

Upon further examination I learned that the Germans have a name for parabolic churches. Parabel-Kirchen. Of course they do!

German examples include:

St. Joseph's, Bottrop

St. Engelbert's Church, Cologne

and you can visit another American parabolic church in Creve Coeur, MO 

And don't get me started on hyperbolic parabaloids:

St. Charles Church, Spokane, WA

Mary Queen of Peace Church, Ulysses, KS

St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, Northglenn, CO

United Church of Rowayton, CT

Enjoy.

* mrguy reminds me that the "Candela Structures" were originally attributed to Felix Candela but were actually designed by Peter Schladermundt. Our friend Paul Lukas' excellent article about a family that turned one of the Candela Structures into a cabin is here.