Posted on 12/18/2014 6:21:05 AM PST by marshmallow
In 1909, a small community of farmers purchased some land for a Catholic mission church; after World War II, the area boomed with aviation and aerospace industries. St John Chrysostom Church in Inglewood, California, which seats at least 1,000, was finished in 1959 to accommodate this growing, thriving Catholic population. It is located minutes from Los Angeles International Airport and the 405 freeway.
An “Art Deco Revival” edifice built entirely of reinforced concrete, St. John’s 182ft carillon bell tower can be seen from miles away. Art Deco-inspired architectural forms are used throughout the church, and the 42ft walls house intricate, Celtic stained glass windows based on the Irish Book of Kells.
The church remained a humble, yet beautiful space until a series of “renovations” climaxed in 1995. In the last two years, however, the parishioners of St John’s have entrusted the sensitive restoration and decoration of the church to Enzo Selvaggi of Heritage Liturgical.
In this interview, Enzo discusses this enormously successful project.
WHAT THE ‘RENOVATORS’ DID
“Well, the original balustrade had long been dismantled, its solid marble supports and cast bronze decoration tossed into storage closets, or piled as stands for pamphlets in the vestibule.
“No portion of the sanctuary was left unscathed. The sanctuary floors had been covered with a seafoam green carpet glued directly to the terrazzo and the marble — some stains on the Calacatta Gold marble are visible to this day.
“The altar was demolished and a table-style altar was created at the bottom of the steps. A Jacuzzi-style tub was placed in the sanctuary.”
MORE ‘RENOVATION’
“The original baptistery was converted into a prayer chapel, decorated with a giant mustard yellow “plus-sign” on the avocado green walls and ceiling. This avocado green and mustard yellow color scheme would continue, in varying shades, throughout the church.
(Excerpt) Read more at reginamag.com ...
Go to the link to see the photos of the new church...really beautiful!
How wonderful for you and your fellow church-goers!
About the before pictures: What the Hell were they thinking? After: Very, very nice.
I pray that can do the same to the Adoration Chapel.
It does make one think that Satan was working over time when the modern churches were built. I went to one that had this orange indoor/outdoor carpeting with a pattern that caused a lot of people to get dizzy and passout.
Oh my. Never was a big fan of orange as a color or of carpting to begin with. I never understood why folks allowed modern churches to be built in the first place.
So glad that icon writing/painting is being discovered by the west.
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