Garden Grove / Neutra

Garden Grove Community Church (1961-1968) by Richard Neutra

The Garden Grove Community Church was built with a drive-In aspect to it.

You can read about the history of the church and the founder here. 

The sun was not cooperating with the picture taking.

Bringing the outside in was taken to a whole new level.  

I doubt they open the windows anymore. 

Photo: Julius Shulman, Getty Research Institute

Stupid sun. I'll have to go back earlier in the day to take better pictures.

Photo: Julius Shulman, Getty Research Institute

 The reflecting pond is drained

There's a lot of construction going on in and around the Tower of Hope. I'm not sure if the new owners have anything to do with it. In 2010, the Catholic Church bought it from the bankrupt ministry who owned it (more on that here).  The tower is currently closed, but weddings were held on the top floors. 

This is cool

Yeah, I went snooping around inside.

This church campus has a lot of architectural big shots. Philip Johnson and John Burgee designed the Crystal Cathedral (1980) on the left and Richard Meier did the International Center for Possibility Thinking/Welcoming Center (2003) on the right. 

Philip Johnson and John Burgee. Again, the sun was a bummer. All the photos of the main building were bunk.

Richard Meier

Richard Meier in stainless is pretty cool

More here