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What FIN says is true of Ireland but viewing religious institutions design solely in terms of assisted living accomodation would not reflect some of the more interesting developments going in the US, France and Eastern Europe etc..
The latest from Cobh:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0606/6news.htmlThe same old pea rattling around the same old pot
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0606/news1pm.htmlLocal reactions
St Cecilia’s Convent, Nashville, Tennessee
The project manager of the restoration:
Chad Polk, AIA
2004 YAF AdCom, Public Relations Adviser
Chad Polk is a project manager with Fowlkes and Associates Architects, a 16-person firm in Nashville. He has worked on a wide variety of projects in Tennessee, including: the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Crime Lab and Headquarters in Nashville; the Madison Branch Library in Madison; the Erlanger Medical Center Office Building in Chattanooga; the Wayne County Assisted Living Facility in Waynesboro; the historic preservation, renovations, and additions to the St. Cecelia Motherhouse Convent in Nashville; and most recently, a new high-rise criminal justice center, an inmate housing facility in downtown Nashville.
Chad began his involvement in the AIA while studying at the University of Kentucky. There, as an active member of the AIAS, he attended the 1992 International Forum, as well as several AIA Kentucky-sponsored design charrettes. Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1994, Chad has served the Institute and the YAF as the president of the AIA Middle Tennessee YAF (1999-2000), the AIA Middle Tennessee Associates director (1999-2000), the AIA Tennessee Associates director (2001-2002), and the YAF Gulf States regional liaison (1999-present).
St Cecilia’s Convent, Nashville, Tennessee
Here is the the webpage of the architect for Nashville Dominican project:
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005505250368
This may help to resolve the architect question
Dominican Nuns and their trusty architect
Many Americans attending the conference are fed up with the “wreckovations,” as they are commonly called, going on in the Church today. Conspicuous among them were a group of Dominican nuns from St. Cecilia’s Congregation in Nashville, Tennessee, dressed in the black headdresses and flowing white habits of their spiritual father, St. Dominic. Of the 192 nuns currently in their convent, 119 are 39 years or younger.
They are getting ready to build a new chapel, renovate their motherhouse and add a new convent wing because of the influx of new vocations.
“We are in a position where we have to make bed space for them,” said Sister John Mary Fleming. “But we have to renovate it in such a way that is appropriate to their spiritual formation.” She was alluding to the positive effect a beautiful building has on the soul . Traditional architecture, a nice match for their wonderful Dominican habits, is at the same time very compatible with their rapidly growing order.
To insure they got what they wanted, they brought along their architect, Marion Fowlkes. “You have to keep the customer happy,” was how he explained his reason for attending. It was amusing to see this man sitting amidst his customers, a group of Dominican nuns, during the meetings. He was the trusty architect protecting St. Dominic’s daughters from architectural absurdities.
More on the architect:
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2005/01/17/daily6.htmlThis is the company responsible for the fittings in the new chapel at the Dominican Convent in Nsahville.
You might also like to look at the protifolio of this well known American architect:
Charles Guilfoyle DORAN (1835-1909)
Someone who read of the recent Bord Pleanala decision sent me the link which I attach below. It is a short outline of the biography of Charles G. Doran who was the clerk of works for the building of St. Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh. The finest quality craftsmanship both of the interior and exterior of the building is in no small part due to Doran who was very much a hands -on -man and most exigent with all craftsmen working on the Cathedral project. Although several contract suppliers complained to a succession of Bishops about his over demanding standards, Doran always had the complete support of the architect ,G.C. Ashlin, who relied on him completely. This article is a valuable contribution to the biography (which still needs writing) of this important figure of 19th. Cobh:
http://dunlavin.blogspot.com/2006/06/charles-guilfoyle-doran-du_114935465372819584.htmlA. TEPE (1884-1885)
The Church of the Asumption of Our Lady into Heaven (Onze Lieve Vrouwe ten Hemelopneming) at HOUTEN in the archdiocese of Utrecht (A. Tepe, 1884-1885)
A new Catholic church was built in Houten by A. Tepe 1884-1885. It’s a three-aisled cruciform basilica in the neo-Gothic style. This is the only instance when Tepe used a crossing-tower for one of his designs. Also the Romanesque details, which are especially present in the clerestorey, make this an exceptional design in Tepe’s career.
Well, well….Stella Meade, the Mayor of Cobh, is pleased with An Bord Pleannala’s decision. How else could she be. AT this point she has no choice in the matter except to be pleased.
We note that she was not too helpful last August in facilitating a motion of the counsellors of Cobh Urban Council to hold a special meeting to discuss the application to wreck the interior of Cobh Cathedral and, I would point to the minutes of the September minutes of the Council where her conservationist track record in relation to the Cathedral is publicly minuted. She might also consider resigning – before the none too happy Cobh electorate deal with her at the next local election. This lady’s democratic credentials waere also available for all to see at the March 2006 meeting of the Cobh Urban Council when she vindictively EXPELLED two members of the FOSCC form visitors gallery by invoking a procedural measure NEVER perviously used in the COuncil Chamber.
Yes indeed. I absolutely agree with Thomond. The very best congratulations are in order for the FOSCC who have done trojan work in the face all sorts of mean and base-bred tricks to stifle the voice of the ordinary citizen whne they had something important to say.
This morning’s newspapers report that Fr. Jim Killeen, the Chris-ologos public relations officer for the diocese of Cloyne, is studying the 90 page Rabbitte Report before deciding what hnext to do. Perhaps he did not notice that the Rabbit Report has been binned in its totality and, hence, there is little or no need for the Cloyne diocesan authorities to stretch their ample brains on it. Just concentrate on on the single page Order made by An Bord Pleannala, if that is not too taxing or tiring, and they should know what they have to do fairly fast. Indeed, most of the luminaries involved in recommending Prof. O’Neill’s mad-hatter scheme should simply resign – starting with the over qualified members of the Historic Church Commission of the diocese of Cloyne who obviously cannot be trusted to safeguard the interests on one of the most important monuments in the country. Even the good Bishop, who staked so much on bulldozing his way over his own flock, should also consider sending in a little letter to BXVI.
The-Chris,again, got it wrong. THe FOSCC did win their appeal with An Bord Pleanala and planning permission to wreck the interior of Cobh Cathedral has been REFUSED.
I may have contributed to The-Chris’s confusion. I only had time to post the Inspector’s Report. This was done by Mr Tom Rabbitte. It was rejected by the Bord which then issued its own DIRECTION and then made an ORDER for CObh Town Council to refuse the planning application simpliciter.
DO read all three elements. They are important and, I believe, set a flag for the interpretation of this section of the planning act. As an initial commenton the question of the weight to be given to “respecting liturgical requirements”, I would bring your attention to the fact that it is substantialy that outlined by the lovely Deborah Spence of Arthur Cox and Co. on behalf of the FOSCC in their appeal lodged with An Board Pleannala last September. I think that the good lady deserves some kudos for that insight – an perhaps even a feather in her hat!!!!!
Here we are then, the Bord Pleanala Report on Cobh Cathedral.
Re seating in Limerick and Belfast cathedrals, I have to confess that I have been in them recently and have not seen the new seating arranhgements. You may have noticed from some of the earlier postings that the current “fad” among the so called liturgists is moveable seating – usually stacked plasticated things, or someting more recogniseably “chair” of “stool” as used by Richard Hurley.
I suppose taht it is possible that seating might have been skimped upon in the building of Irish churches but that would not be true in the case of some of the important buildings. The seating in CObh Cathedral, for instance, was designed by Ashlin and executed to a level consonant with the rest of the building. Unfortunately, this feature of the Cathedral is also under attack: several of the benches have been removed fromn their original position and dumped in the Lady Chapel where they are certainly in the process of impacing on the ornamental mosaic floor – which was never intended to have seating. This is supposed to be a “cute” solution thinking that nobody would notice. I am still waiting to see how it will take the COrk COunty Conservation Officer to have them removed before the floor is wrecked.
The Pro-Cathedral in Dublin also has a fine set of benches.
If anyone is interested in viewing two wonderful example of neo-Gothic Rood Screens, I have just posted two examples built by A. Tepe, one in Utrecht the other in Amsterdam, which are still in place and largely intact. They can be found on postings # 830 and # 833 on the thread dealing with the reorganizationa and destruction of Irish cathedrals and churches.
A. TEPE (1881-1883)
St. Francis Xavier or De Krijtberg in Amsterdam
This Jesuit church was built to replace an earlier one that had been fronted by a private house – much like Adam and Eve’s in Dublin – and was begun in 1881 The site for the new church posed serious spacial difficulties. Tepe however managed to construct a rather large church, especially when compared to the St. Willibrordus in Utrecht, built a few years earlier under similar space limitations.
Because only the front would be directly visible Tepe gave the church a monumental facade with octagonal towers at the sides of it, instead of his usual square tower. Instead of a true transept there’s a pseudo-transept with shallow arms, and the choir is flanked by diagonally positioned chapels. In the interior optimal use of space was made by limiting the width of the side-aisles, thus creating more space for the central aisle. A gallery above the side-aisles provided even more space.
De Krijtberg is one of the highlights in Tepe’s career. The interior was largely furnished by Mengelberg in Utrecht and has survived almost intact..
In the 1970 the church was threathened with demolition, but thankfully it was restored instead. This restoration started in 1979 and was completed in 2001.
Just take a look at the 39 Articles published at the beginning of the Book of Common Prayer and you will see why there are doctrinal problems about that particular entreprise:
Articles 28 and 31 , I think, sould be sufficient to see that there still remains a good deal of ground to be made up before even an “agreed” doctrine of the Eucharist, for what that is worth, can be arrived at:
http://www.reform.org.uk/restore.php?page=http%3A//www.reform.org.uk/covenant/39.html
Here is a potted biography of Cuypers.
The link below gives access to an interesting article by Auke van der Woud on the Dutch neo-Gothic reviva and may be of interest to readers:
http://www.archis.org/plain/object.php?object=811&year=&num=
Another important architect of the Dutch neo Gothic revival is Wilhelm Victor Alfred Tepe.
He was born in Amsterdam in November 1840 and studied architecture at the Bauakadamie in Berlin 1861-l 1864 but was dissatisfied with its Classicism. Tepe devoted much of his time tot he study of of Viollet-le-Duc. and the French neo-Gothic movement which included Lassus and Didron. From 1865 to 1867 Tepe worked under Vincenz Statz, one of Germany’s leading neo-Gothic architects. Tepe was involved with Statz in Cologne on the completion of the cathedral.In 1867 Tepe returned to Amsterdam, where he worked for an architect Ouderterp moving to Utrecht in 1872 where he became one of the leading members of the St. Bernulphusgilde (‘Guild of St. Bernulphus’), a group of Catholic clergy and artists striving to restore national traditions and craftmanship in religious art and architecture. The guild was a dominant influence in the archdiocese of Utrecht. Influences from medieval indigenous styles were especially encouraged, as was the use of indigenous materials, especially brick. Most of Tepe’s oeuvre is to be found in the archdiocese of Utrecht. From 1871 to 1905 Tepe built around 70 churches, executed in brick with very little natural stone, and taking the late-Gothic 15th- and 16th-centuries’ styles of the Lower Rhine and Westphalia as his majopr influence. The St. Bernulphus Guild saw to the sumptous decoration of the interiorrs.
In 1905 Tepe moved to Germany, where he designed several more churches. He died in Düsseldorf in 1920,Church St. Willibrordus, Utrecht 1876-1877
The church has undergone an important restoration which was brought to completion in 2005. It would useful for public bodies in Ireland such as the Heritage COuncil and the architectural “experts” in the Department of the Environment to take a close look at this restoration. They might learn something from it.
