Critique Welcomed The Drive In Church

[Brian Moore]

The Drive In Church is located on the grounds of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.

The long low building in the foreground is the Drive In Church. The tall building with the cross on the top is called the Tower of Hope. Both were designed by Richard Neutra. (I had some E-mail communication a while back with Richard Nuetra's son, Dion, who told me about getting that cross mounted. They had to rent the tallest crane in the state.) The Tower of Hope was completed in 1968.

Not sure about the date of the Drive In Church, but it was before the Tower of Hope. It's no longer used as a drive in church, but the parking lot still has the nose-up undulations created for better viewing from your car. There were once posts embedded in the parking lot and these held speakers.

Has anyone ever been to a drive in movie?

The glass building to the right is the actual Crystal Cathedral, which was build in the 70s. (Not by Neutra.) The church outfit that ran the Drive In Church/Crystal Cathedral (Ministry of Dr. Robert Fuller I think), went bankrupt a while back and the facility was purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Orange County.

 

[Pete Askew]

What an interesting history and a striking pair of buildings. I like the way the trees echo the shape of the crystal spire.

 

[Brian Moore]

What an interesting history and a striking pair of buildings. I like the way the trees echo the shape of the crystal spire.

Thanks, Pete. The Tower of Hope and the Drive In Church are lovely deigns. I'm not a fan of the Crystal Cathedral's design. That spire in the background is a different structure altogether (albeit still on the grounds of the Crystal Cathedral.) I believe it is called the Crean Tower. Here's a picture of it I took with my Minox 35GT (ex-Hamish) a while back.

 

[Pete Askew]

Aha, I see. And another fine shot.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Awesome Brian, love the drive-in idea - so Californian!

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Two superb shots Brian. This type of 70's design, much deplored here often by the press, is very unique, different and is maybe a to taste. But what is not, and I go along with for it's very uniqueness.

 

[Brian Moore]

Awesome Brian, love the drive-in idea - so Californian!

Only in America Chris. Thanks!

 

[Brian Moore]

Two superb shots Brian. This type of 70's design, much deplored here often by the press, is very unique, different and is maybe a to taste. But what is not, and I go along with for it's very uniqueness.

Thanks, Julian. The guy who designed the Drive-In Church and the Tower of Hope, Richard Neutra, is one of the architectural giants of mid 20th C modern design. I like the clean rectangles and natural light so often employed by Neutra and others out here in California. Thanks again, Julian.