Tag: Churches

77047, Churches, Domes, Foreclosures, Leasing, Openings and Closings, Southeast Houston

Historic Preservation

01/07/10 1:05pm

This Is Not a Demolished Church

Houston Heights, Religious Facilities

The 3D documentation artists who’ve been scanning the facade of Immanuel Lutheran Church’s unwanted sanctuary building at 1448 Cortland St. in the Heights issue an important caution to those appreciating their craft:

Once archived, the data fileâ€™s full-scale scan and related imagery becomes a resource for preservationists, conservators, architects, engineers, site managers, or others needing access for a variety of purposes, from maintenance to insurance to historical reference, explained the team from Smart GeoMetrics, a division of Smart MultiMedia. The ventureâ€™s principals are Richard Lasater and Doug Smith of the Rice Village area. . . .

Lasater said â€” with emphasis â€” that digital documentation is an archival tool, “not a replacement’ for a building.”

Digital record made of vintage churchâ€™s facade [West University Examiner, via Swamplot inbox]
Previously on Swamplot: Saved by a HAM: The Museum Plan for Immanuel Lutheran Church, Immanuel Lutheran Church: Saved for Demolition Next Year, Can This Lutheran Church Be Saved?

Image: Smart GeoMetrics

77008, Churches, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Religious Facilities

Braeburn Valley West

01/04/10 12:32pm

Holiday Fire Roundup

Hazards, Houston History, Quicklink, Religious Facilities, Shadowlawn

6 Comments

HOLIDAY FIRE ROUNDUP A former auto parts store converted to a house of worship for the local congregation of a Nigerian-based church burned in the early hours of New Years Day, in a fire begun from a candle at the altar. The facility at 9430 West Bellfort, which backs up to Braeburn Valley West, was completely destroyed, except for some metal siding. Congregants, who are now holding services in a northside restaurant, have vowed to rebuild. A few days earlier, in the gated enclave of homes just north of Rice University known as ~~Shadowlawn~~ Shadyside, another fire struck a $12 million mansion with some history behind it: “The home was designed by New York architect Harrie T. Lindberg for William Stamps Farish, the founder of Humble Oil, which was one of the companies that eventually became Exxon Mobil Corp. According to a biography of [Howard] Hughes, the mansion at 10 Remington Lane was where Hughes married Ella Rice, the sister of Farish’s wife.” [abc13; Reuters]

77005, 77031, Braeburn Valley West, Churches, Fires, Hazards, Houston History, Religious Facilities, Shadowlawn

Art

12/22/09 11:26am

Saved by a HAM: The Museum Plan for Immanuel Lutheran Church

Demolitions, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Neighborhood Disputes, Religious Facilities

5 Comments

Immanuel Lutheran Church has a signed contract to demolish its original sanctuary structure at the corner of 15th St. and Cortlandt in the Heights this summer. But art gallery owner and structural engineer Gus Kopriva wants to turn the 1932 building into an art museum instead.

Kopriva, who was involved in the recent renovation of the Heights Theater and owns Redbud Gallery on 11th St., is scheduled to present his concept to the church today. It would involve a long-term lease and a new nonprofit organization to raise money for the renovation, writes Allan Turner in the Chronicle:

â€œIt’s been my long-term dream to create a Texas arts mecca,â€ Kopriva said. The museum, which he would call the Heights Arts Museum (HAM), would also house art archives, he said.

Backing Kopriva’s proposal are the Houston Heights Association and the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, both of which have struggled to save the church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Museum idea could save threatened Heights church [Houston Chronicle]
Previously on Swamplot: Immanuel Lutheran Church: Saved for Demolition Next Year, Can This Lutheran Church Be Saved?, This Week in Old Movie Theater Rehab

Photo of Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1448 Cortlandt St.: Flickr user dey37

77008, Art, Churches, Demolitions, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Neighborhood Disputes, Religious Structures

Demolitions

11/25/09 2:29pm

Immanuel Lutheran Church: Saved for Demolition Next Year

Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Religious Facilities

1 Comment

Some news from the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance:

The congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church has voted to delay until spring 2010 the proposed demolition of its Gothic Revival sanctuary on East 15th Street at Cortlandt in the Heights East Historic District.

In late October, the city Archeological and Historic Commission voted to deny the church a “certificate of appropriateness” for the demo, which meant the church would have had to wait a full 90 days anyway — until late January of next year — to tear down its vacant 1932 brick building.

Historic Heights church faces demolition [GHPA]
Can This Lutheran Church Be Saved? [Swamplot]

Photo: Heights Blog

77008, Churches, Demolitions, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Religious Facilities

Demolitions

11/11/09 11:56am

Downsizing the Galveston Church

Galveston, Quicklink, Religious Facilities

DOWNSIZING THE GALVESTON CHURCH Archbishop Daniel DiNardo details the demo list: “The St. Therese of Lisieux mission building on the Bolivar Peninsula already has been demolished. The new plan adds Our Mother of Mercy church, also on the peninsula, to the list to be torn down. Members of Our Mother of Mercyâ€™s congregation, who have opposed the archdioceseâ€™s plans through litigation, said via e-mail Monday that the churchâ€™s fate was still to be decided. They said there would be a mediation session on the issue Friday. Ancillary buildings, but not the main church structures, will be removed at both the Holy Rosary and Sacred Heart campuses. The lot and buildings at Reina de La Paz are slated to be sold. The buildings that comprise the St. Peter the Apostle site are all to be either destroyed or sold. Historic stained glass windows, sacred statues, artwork and other items of architectural or symbolic interest will be preserved, Auxiliary Bishop Joe S. Vasquez said. ‘The church intends to keep them. We wonâ€™t throw them away or sell them, and will reuse them locally if possible.’â€ [Galveston County Daily News]

77550, 77551, 77554, Churches, Demolitions, Galveston, Religious Facilities, Religious Structures

Camden Woods

11/02/09 2:37pm

Freeway Church of the Eastex Holy Roaming Empire: Shining a Little Light on La Luz Del Mundo

Religious Facilities

23 Comments

Blogger Robert Boyd does what every Houstonian who’s driven the Eastex Freeway has been meaning to do — one day: get off the freeway and see what the deal is with that brightly lit marble and marbleish Greco-Roman edificial smorgasbord on the 59 feeder road:

When I was taking pictures, I got a chance to speak with the young watchman. He told me that the church took five years to build. He offered to let me see the interior, but I wasn’t allowed to take pictures there. A shame, because as mindblowing as the outside is, the inside is even moreso.

77093, Camden Woods, Churches, Religious Structures

Manvel

07/06/09 12:10pm

Sunday Gear: Biker Church in Manvel

Religious Facilities, Strip Centers

2 Comments

The Facts reporter John Tompkins visits the 4-year-old non-denominational Biker Church in Manvel, which operates out of a strip-center wedding and event facility on Highway 6, just east of FM 1128:

Instead of shirts, ties and Sunday dresses, Biker Church members wear vests, leather pants and sport tattoos. And instead of coming to church in the family car, most participants roll into the Jordan Center, where the church services are performed, on motorcycles and line them up in front of the door.

â€œIf you walked into our church with a suit and tie, people would look at you funny,â€ said the churchâ€™s pastor, David Wright.

Robert â€œTreeâ€ Perot said he started attending Biker Church after a member saw him on the side of a highway praying by his motorcycle. The man handed him a necklace with a cross fashioned from nails and asked him to come to Biker Church.

Bikers find highway to God in Manvel [The Facts]
Biker Church
Jordan Event Center

Photo of Biker Church parking at Jordan Event Center, 20709 Hwy 6 in Manvel: Biker Church

77578, Churches, Manvel, Religious Facilities, Strip Centers

Attractions

02/20/09 6:42pm

Sagemont Cross: New Higher Power Lines Beltway 8

Ellington Field, Public Art, Religious Facilities, Utilities

54 Comments

What’s this? A new clean, modern design for the high-voltage power line structures along the Sam Houston Tollway, just west of I-45 South?

Naah — it’s Sagemont Church’s new 170-ft.-tall steel cross, viewed in its natural setting. Plus: It lights up at night!

77034, 77089, Attractions, Churches, Freeways and Toll Roads, Public Art, Religious Institutions, Utilities

Houston Architects

01/15/09 3:41pm

Chapelwood United Methodist: Greenbay Packer

New Construction, Piney Point Village, Religious Facilities

Churches, Houston Architects, New Construction, Piney-Point-Village, Religious Facilities

The new 3-level youth building on the growing campus of Chapelwood United Methodist Church on Greenbay St. in Piney Point Village is now open:

Tour members, most who were seeing the new construction for the first time, were visibly taken aback when entering the ground-level youth activity center Sunday, where they were greeted by loud music and kids enjoying the actiivites.

Complete with 13 video gaming stations, air hockey, foosball, ping pong and pool tables, a snack bar, tables and seating for hanging out, a small stage with a huge video screen for games, group study rooms, free wi-fi, and more.

Youth ministry offices are off to the side of the game room.

Chapelwood: Youth building impresses visitors [Memorial Examiner]
Chapelwood United Methodist Church [Merriman Holt Architects]

Drawing of Chapelwood United Methodist Church master plan and photo: Merriman Holt Architects

Disaster Aftermath

01/08/09 2:46pm

The Baptist Church, the Hooters Waitresses, and the Hurricane Victims

Oak Island, Quicklink, Religious Facilities, Restaurants, Southgate

3 Comments

THE BAPTIST CHURCH, THE HOOTERS WAITRESSES, AND THE HURRICANE VICTIMS A 9-year-long relationship between congregants of the Rice Temple Baptist Church in Southgate and a group of Hooters waitresses led to a bit of help for residents of Ike-devastated Oak Island over the holiday. “Over the years, the church has found additional ways to develop the relationship. The church has been a sponsor of an annual Hooters golf tournament, giving away Bibles. They have also worked with the restaurantâ€™s employees on Habitat for Humanity building projects. . . . The waitresses have even joined with the congregation in walking through the neighborhood singing Christmas carols. ‘You could tell they hadnâ€™t gone Christmas caroling before, because they all showed up in high heels,’ [Pastor Clint Reiff] recalled.” [Associated Baptist Press]

77030, Churches, Disaster Aftermath, Hurricane Ike, Oak Island, Restaurants, Southgate

Attractions

12/08/08 12:25pm

Church of the Shepherd Drive-Thru

Quicklink, Religious Facilities

2 Comments

CHURCH OF THE SHEPHERD DRIVE-THRU “The Christian non-denominational Succeed in Life Center near Shepherd and Tidwell has been offering drive-thru prayer service to members and non-members alike a couple of Saturdays a month since October, and pastor Damien Jackson tells Hair Balls the event has garnered praise from participants. ‘The reaction has been great. The people who drive by say everything from, “I’ve never heard of this, this is such a need idea, this is so helpful,”â€™ says Jackson, adding they regularly see between 20 and 30 cars an hour. Jackson explains that participants drive up to a window and fill out a request sheet, then drive to another window where they receive the prayer and a ‘quick word of encouragement’ from a pastor.” [Hair Balls]

Attractions, Churches, Drive-Thrus, Religious Facilities

Downtown

11/07/08 10:53am

Downtown Waiting Room

Institutional Buildings, Quicklink

3 Comments

DOWNTOWN WAITING ROOM Architect Lawrence Speck of Page Southerland Page, architect of the Christ Church Cathedral’s John S. Dunn Outreach Center at Prairie and San Jacinto: “We went to other places that were serving the homeless in Houston and spoke with people. Gosh, they have all the time in the world. Theyâ€™re very happy to talk to you. One thing that we learned that had not been handled well in Austin was that a whole lot of their lives are about waiting. Theyâ€™re waiting for the meal; theyâ€™re waiting for an appointment; theyâ€™re waiting for friends to show up; and thereâ€™s no place to hang out. They are constantly being moved or jostled. So on the north side of Dunn center, we built a lot of space for just hanging out. Thereâ€™s a very deep arcadeâ€”about 12 feet deep. Itâ€™s got ceiling fans. Itâ€™s shady. Itâ€™s cool. Then thereâ€™s a little buffer of green space, which is very, very important because that makes them not feel like theyâ€™re on the sidewalk. . . . Another thing thatâ€™s good about the arcade is that itâ€™s on the churchâ€™s turf, and so the hotels and the condos and the other office buildings down there feel much more comfortable with the homeless people being in their neighborhood than they did before.” [Architectural Record]

Churches, Downtown, Homelessness, Institutional Buildings

Attractions

07/10/08 4:05pm

Grace Community Church and the Giant Crosses on I-45

Ellington Field, Proposed Developments, The Woodlands

25 Comments

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=dkUjSpRr93Q 400 330]

The two “Marking Our City” billboards near Grace Community Church‘s north and south I-45 locations depict a plain white cross, an American flag, and the words “150 FT CROSS COMING SOON.” But they probably show only the top portion of the structures the church is planning — and the 150-ft. label may be selling the project short. The Chronicle‘s Lisa Gray says

. . . the pastor hopes both structures will be 200 feet tall, roughly the height of a 20-story building. The Federal Aviation Administration, he said, may limit the south campus’s cross to 150 feet because it’s near Ellington Field.

Five-and-a-half minutes into the Grace Community Church video above, Grace senior pastor Steve Riggle walks viewers through a drawing of a more elaborate structure. Riggle asks

What if there was one of these at every entrance to the city? And it was there for the prayer movement in the city, not just a church. You talk about marking our city for God.

After the jump: More crosses on the side of the highway!

77034, 77386, Attractions, Churches, Ellington Field, Proposed Developments, Public Art, Religious Institutions, The Woodlands

Annexation

06/30/08 11:37am

Baytown Annexes 320 Acres for Second Baptist

Baytown, Institutional Buildings, Proposed Developments

Parking Lot for Proposed Second Baptist Church of Baytown on North Main St., Baytown, TX

Baytown’s City Council has voted to annex 320 acres of land along North Main and south of I-10 — so that Baytown’s Second Baptist Church can get utility and other municipal services for a new 48,000-sq.-ft., $8.7 million shopping-center-style facility it is hoping to construct on North Main St.

The Baytown Sun‘s Barrett Goldsmith reports that even more land may be annexed:

According to information submitted to Council by city planner Kimberly Brooks, additional property along North Main will be brought to Council for annexation as the utility system is extended to the area.

After the jump: More images of the new church . . . plus a video!