Des Moines Architecture and History

If you hang out with me for home schooling, you might know that I’ve arranged a couple architecture tours for groups. This month was the Iowa Architecture Foundation‘s free lecture series entitled “Sacred Spaces, an exploration of how architecture and faith intersect.”

I hadn’t been able to get to any of the lecture-tours until this week’s destination — the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. There is still one more stop on the tour, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in West Des Moines, that I’m hoping to get to (Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 PM).

Why the lecture was awesome: because it put local perspective on everything. For example:

rose window from hoyt sherman

You can talk all you want about a rose window, stained glass, and Gothic Revivals. BUT I WILL LISTEN when you add Hoyt Sherman, a bomb explosion in 1970, and replacement of the three rondels.

Other tours were given at Oreon Scott Chapel, Scotch Ridge Presbyterian, and Temple B’nai Jeshurun.