Community Christian Church
Kansas City, United States
Open to visitors
The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.
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Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1940 for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), this Kansas City church rises on Main Street at East 46th, across from Country Club Plaza's shopping district. Wright based his parallelogram design on features conceived for his Johnson Wax Company work, and originally envisioned the building crowned with a unique spire of light. Financial constraints during construction reduced the auditorium from 1,200 to 900 seats, eliminated many details, and forced the use of gunite—a lightweight concrete—over Wright's objections. The spire of light itself could not be completed due to technical limitations of the era. Dedicated in January 1942, the church functioned for decades before the Steeple of Light was finally realized in 1994 by Kansas City artist Dale Eldred and his partner Roberta Lord. Mounted within a perforated dome on the building's northwestern corner, four 16-inch xenon bulbs powered by 40,000 volts create a spectacular column of 1.2 billion candlepower, visible for miles and illuminated regularly on weekends and holidays.
Architect
- Type
- church building
- Place
- Kansas City, United States
This building on
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Location